Glens Falls Business Journal - January 2021

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VOL. 32 NO. 11

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JANUARY 2021

Noble Gas Solutions Opens A Facility In South Stec: State Must Help Businesses Hurt In Glens Falls, Adding Warehouse Space, Offices Pandemic, Resist Temptation To Raise Taxes

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Albany-based Noble Gas Solutions is planning to open a third location at 15 Third St. in South Glens Falls.

The wholesale distributor of gasses and welding supplies also has a location in Kingston.

Noble Gas was founded in 1940 as Albany Welding Supply Co. and owner J. David Mahoney worked there for 10 years before purchasing the business in 1986.

Approximately 60 percent of the company’s sales are generated from the gas arm of the business, he said. Noble Gas sells medical, specialty, industrial, and consumer gasses as well as gas and cryogenic packaging. Their packaging product line includes cylinders, tanks, manifolds, and liquid cryogenic dewars.

“We started by getting into selling specialty gasses for universities and for laboratories, and it just evolved. We sell so many different gasses.

We sell helium to florists, gasses to veterinary clinics and pharmaceuticals. It’s very diverse,” said Mahoney.

Noble Gas also carries a full line of welding, metalworking, soldering, brazing, and fume elimination supplies.

The company sells, rents and repairs welding machines.

“We supply manufacturing companies.

People like Miller Mechanical, Doty Machine Works, Stonebridge Iron. We also deal with a lot of construction companies,” he said.

The company also manufactures and sells dry ice. The quality of dry ice diminishes with time, so purchasing it directly from a manufacturer ensures maximum freshness, according to the company.

“Dry ice is a niche, so you want to have enough of a business opportunity to make the investment

Noble Gas Solutions manufactures and sells dry ice, among other business services.

Courtesy Noble Gas Solutions

in the equipment,” said Mahoney.

He expects dry ice sales to increase as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine must be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius and is shipped in dry ice.

“We have had many conversations with the Empire State Development and State of New York about our production capabilities,” he said.

Mahoney’s decision to open a store in South Glens Falls occurred after Taylor Welding Supply sold its 22 Lower Warren St. business to Airgas in June. Airgas is a leading distributor of gasses and had more than 900 locations.

“Air Gas is the 9,000-pound gorilla,” said Mahoney. “When Taylor sold to them, we felt it left a void and opportunity in the Glens Continued On Page 10

BY STATE SEN. DAN STEC As the 2021 State Legislative session gets underway in Albany this month, the first order of business must be reestablishing its role as a co-equal branch of government.

Since March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has exercised unprecedented authority to deal with the myriad challenges created by COVID-19. He was granted this authority by the Legislature at a time of great uncertainty and when there was a need to quickly respond to mitigate the spread of the illness and avoid our health care system becoming totally overwhelmed.

Fortunately, we have moved beyond that critical time. Remaining vigilant to prevent the virus from spreading is certainly still very important. But the coronavirus vaccine now offers great hope that we will be able to get back to ‘normal’ in the near future. As we begin a new session of a newly elected Legislature, it seems to me the time is right for lawmakers representing all regions of our state to discontinue the governor’s emergency power and fulfill their critical constitutional role.

We are all well aware of the financial challenges that lie ahead. While revenues for all levels of government are down, the real story is what our businesses, especially small employers and lowerwage workers, have been enduring. Small businesses drive our economy and their recovery must now be our priority.

In trying to address its own fiscal problems, state government must resist the temptation to raise taxes. New York leads the nation in total tax burden. We know that prior to COVID, too many families and businesses were choosing lower-tax states to invest in and build their futures. The pace of this exodus appears to have hastened the past six months, especially downstate.

The governor has said that New York state has

Sen. Dan Stec’s 45th District includes Warren and Washington counties.

Courtesy Assemblyman Stec

paid $116 billion more than it received in federal spending since 2015, a trend which has apparently persisted for decades. Rather than taxing our own more, the governor and legislative leaders must exhaust every opportunity to get more help from Washington, D.C. Infrastructure investment is very much needed.

We see throughout our region antiquated water and sewer systems that are very expensive to upgrade, as well as road and especially bridge repairs long overdue. Because of their cost, these projects are put on hold year after year with the eventual fix only growing more expensive. Federal aid for infrastructure would be money well-spent because it would not only get people working quickly, it would have a long-term beneficial impact.

Continued On Page 8

In Virus-Impacted Year, Winterfest Replaces Marc Monahan Leads The Adirondack Winter Carnival On Four February Weekends Regional Chamber Of Commerce 2021 Board A new event, WinterFest, is planned for the four weekends of February, replacing the Lake George Winter Carnival.

The new event, created because of the impact of COVID-19, entices visitors to attend socially distanced, safe outdoor events such as crosscountry skiing, snowmobiling, w i nt e r “f at tire” mountain biking and dine in the Lake George area.

Pa r t i c i pants will get a wristband, obtainable in advance online, that will serve as the ticket to horsedrawn carriage rides around Lake George and hot cocoa stations.

The website where wristbands will be on sale is www.lakegeorgewinterfest.com.

“WinterFest is the new way to get outside and really enjoy the wide variety of familyoriented socially-distanced recreational opportunities in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks,’’ said Christian Dutcher, who is organizing the event.

“Our hotels are open and welcoming visitors. Our restaurateurs will be serving up

great February food and drink specials while maintaining safety precautions. Local beers will be on tap, local bourbons poured. The WinterFest wristband will be your ticket to safe winter fun.”

Since 1961, the Lake George Winter Carnival has been a c e nte r of w i nte r events, but its foc u s on l arge group activities was not considered c ondu cive to this year’s social distancing requirements, organizers said.

WinterFest is different in that it focuses on individual outdoor activities and offers discounts to make them affordable, Dutcher said.

“The health and safety of our guests and community is paramount, and the WinterFest schedule is subject to change based on our response to COVID-19,” he said.

WinterFest is funded by Warren County and supported by the Warren County Board of Supervisors, the Town and Village of Lake George, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, and major hoteliers and restaurateurs.

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that Marc Monahan, vice president and regional executive of NBT Bank, will again be chairman of its board of directors in 2021.

He replaced Eric Gilbert in 2020.

ARCC also announced the addition of four new board members for 2021.

“The past year certainly has been a challenge, but I believe we have a strong team at the ARCC and an outstanding group of board volunteers to help us make 2021 another successful year. Thank you to all of our members for their continued support of our 100 percent member funded and focused chamber,” said Monahan.

“As we enter into a new year, I am excited to welcome our newest board members and to show our gratitude to our outgoing members for their dedication to the ARCC.” ARCC President & CEO Michael Bittel said, “We are blessed to have a board of directors who are all passionate about our region and our communities. Under Chairman Marc Monahan’s leadership, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has continued to focus on our mission of loving and serving our entire community. Our four new board members will carry on their passion and legacy.”

Monahan joined NBT in 2010 as a member of the retail team. He has over 18 years of experience in banking in various roles within the retail and commercial divisions of NBT. Prior to coming to NBT he

Marc Monahan is the chairman of the ARCC board of directors for 2021.

Courtesy ARCC

worked in the Capital Region as a member of the management team in KeyBank’s retail bank. Monahan started his career in the finance industry as a member of Citi Group.

He has been involved with the Chamber on many levels dating back to his days as an ambassador when he first started his career in banking.

The new members are: Ash Anand, owner and operator of The Lotus Group of Companies, established Continued On Page 13

2 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

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Personnel Briefs

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) welcomed two new team members. Joining the ARCC team are Carol Ann Conover in member services and Karen Mattison as finance manager.

Conover, a South Jersey native, has a professional background spanning multiple business sectors.

She began in health care as a nurse’s aide at ACMC through college and went on to become an administrator for a comprehensive cardiac facility by the age of 25 before relocating to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she began her writing career with a small local paper.

She authored several regular feature columns and she has written food and travel columns and reviews for several newspapers and online journals.

She has worked in hospitality at Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls and most recently The Queensbury Hotel. She has served at the Glens Falls Farmer’s Market with Dickinson’s Delights, and has been an active fundraiser, most recently for the Great Cycle Challenge benefiting Children’s Cancer Charities.

She also operates a freelance writing and social media and marketing business.

Mattison, owner of Busy Bee Bookkeeping, LLC, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the College of St. Joseph after which she worked for a local CPA firm for 13 years. In 2018, she started her own business and obtained her IRS enrolled agent designation in 2019.

Joining the ARCC team allows her to as-

Stewart’s Shops Acquisition Of Red-Kap Adds Gasoline Distribution Services, A Few Stores •

sist an organization which lends its experience and excitement to the development of local business and regional advancement.

* * * The Arrow Family of Companies recently announced the appointments of senior vice president Christine Snow to director of customer experience and senior vice president Marc Yrsha to director of relationship banking for Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. In her new role, Snow will oversee the customer experience unit, which includes the call center, and deposit, loan and branch operations. Together these teams care for our customers and ensure a positive and unified customer experience across many different business lines.

Snow joined the company in 2016 and most recently served as senior vice president of branch administration, overseeing all branch and call center functions.

In his new role, Yrsha will oversee the retail banking unit which includes frontline sales teams for retail, consumer, business and municipal banking, as well as small business and home equity lending. Together these teams will continue to focus on the customer and growing relationships in all our communities.

Continued On Page 14

Red-Kap is a locally owned, family run business, has eight convenience stores, three car washes, a 75-plus dealer network and fuel distribution business.

Stewart’s Shops is announced it is expanding its fuel distribution business with the acquisition of Red-Kap, a locally owned, family run business.

Stewart’s officials said the company will acquire eight convenience stores, three car washes, a 75-plus dealer network and fuel distribution business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Stewart’s will maintain the branding of the Mobil, Citgo, and Sunoco stations and will convert a few of the Red-Kap locations into Stewart’s Shops.

“Stewart’s has always respected the business and our long personal relationship with the Kaplans and their team,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake. “Doing business with people who respect people is always a pleasure.

Both organizations come from long local family histories that have helped form the communities where we live.

“The acquisition will add eight corporately run locations and a significant addition of gasoline supply and distribution to local stations.

Stewart’s prides itself on vertical integration and support. In the age of COVID-19, with an everchanging business climate, we look forward to extending this support to the distributor/dealer network.”

Red-Kap, based in Schenectady, owns eight convenience stores from Saratoga to Loudonville, Troy, East Greenbush, and as far

west as the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville.

Red-Kap principal Jon Kaplan said, “From our humble beginnings in one gas station, RedKap has grown to be a multi-site convenience store and car wash operator as well as one of the largest gasoline suppliers in upstate New York.

None of this would have been possible without the work and talent of our employees, customers and business partners along with the support of our families ... Being acquired by Stewart’s is our final success. We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Stewart’s, during which we have grown to respect and trust them.”

He said employees and customers are “in good hands and able to face the challenges of the future with Stewart’s and the Dake family.

Knowing that Stewart’s is a locally owned family business only adds to our contentment with this transaction.”

It will be the second wholesale fuel business acquisition for Stewart’s this year. In January, the family- and employee-owned company invested $6.6 million in January to purchase Polsinello Fuel’s fuel supply business at the Port of Albany.

Stewart’s currently operates 338 convenience stores in New York and Vermont.

According to its website, Red-Kap has more than 60 employees and sells more than 60 million gallons of gasoline and diesel annually.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 3

New Public Relations Company In Glens Falls The Jefferson Project In Lake George Heads Focuses On ‘Green’ Sustainability Markets Collaborative Effort To Stem Harmful Algae

Tony DeFazio, founder Sustainable PR, a company positioned to support companies of varying sizes operating in B2B and B2C industries, such as green technology and renewable energy.

Sustainable PR, a new public relations agency in Glens Falls, has opened with a focus on fostering “green” business success in the growing sustainability market.

After 30 years of media relations experience in Philadelphia, Tony DeFazio, founder and principal of the agency, started the company.

Sustainable PR is positioned to support companies of varying sizes operating in B2B and B2C industries such as green technology, renewable energy, eco product manufacturing, sustainable investment products and organic food and beverage, according to the company.

Sustainable PR offers a range of services, including message development, media relations, influencer relations, coalition building and thought leadership.

The agency launched with its first client Soho Waterworks, a Brooklyn-based start-up water distributor aiming to redefine the standards of drinking water and help regional bottlers of fine waters access broader markets.

DeFazio said the inspiration for the agency can be traced back to a hike in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Park at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a friend asked him how he wanted to spend his next 10 years. After a lifetime of volunteering and advocating for environmental and sustainable causes, DeFazio decided to put his skills to work to both pursue his passion and meet what he describes as a growing market need.

“I reached a point where I could really take a step back and evaluate where I wanted to head next,” DeFazio said. “After building a strong reputation and an extensive network of contacts, I was ready for a new challenge.”

“The highlights of my career have been in supporting emerging businesses in the science, technology and finance sectors. When the pandemic hit, I realized there was no time to waste.

And the numbers reflect that. The burgeoning sustainability market presents unparalleled opportunities. Millions of dollars are waiting for companies who get their messaging right

Courtesy Sustainable PR

and resonate with consumers and investors—all while working toward a greener future.”

The sustainability market is projected to grow from $8.7 billion in 2019 to $28.9 billion by 2024, according to the Green Technology and Sustainability Market Report, and consumers are increasingly paying attention to companies’ commitment to leaving the planet better than they found it.

DeFazio made the move from Philadelphia to Glens Falls to launch Sustainable PR. He said the city is brimming with new development, retail and a supportive business community. The city has already committed to sustainability developments of its own, including energy conservation measures such as converting 1,600 street lights from high-pressure sodium (HPS) to light-emitting diode (LED), which will save energy and an estimated quarter million dollars annually.

“Here at Sustainable PR, we are committed to employing our media relations expertise to grow green companies both local to the region and nationwide,” said DeFazio. “We deliberately chose Glens Falls for its strategic location just outside Adirondack Park, and within an hour of the state capital.

“Since we arrived, the city has opened its arms to us. We are beyond grateful to city leaders who have given us such a warm reception, and we are excited to be a part of a community which reflects our values. We look forward to working alongside business and civic leaders to help make Glens Falls an even more vibrant city.”

Led by veteran PR practitioners, Sustainable PR is strategically built to help green companies craft compelling stories about their sustainability initiatives. These narratives, and the resulting exposure, provide companies third party validation, credibility and enhanced reputation, according to the company.

For more information, visit the company website sustainablepr.com or call (518) 2239962.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in November discovered Lake George’s first harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Harris Bay. The Jefferson Project at Lake George, a collaboration between RPI, IBM Research, and the nonprofit FUND for Lake George, immediately deployed resources to examine the situation.

More than 20 researchers collected water samples from across the lake for sophisticated chemical, biological, and computer modeling analyses. They also deployed advanced sensors around the lake (including Harris Bay), officials said.

The algal bloom was first observed in Harris Bay on Nov. 7 and dissipated that same day, according to the FUND for Lake George.

Additional blooms appeared on Monday, Nov. 9, in Harris Bay, Sandy Bay, Warner Bay, and near shore waters off of Lake George Village, all of which dissipated within 24 hours.

It was verified that the threshold of cyanobacteria concentrations in excess of 25 micrograms per liter were present. IBM and RPI supercomputers and researchers began computationally modeling recent weather and water circulation at all levels of the lake.

All of this effort, officials said, is aimed at answering three critical questions.

“The first question is: Was this a natural event or is this an early warning sign of human activities impacting the lake, due to factors like increasing nutrients or global climate change? Our rapid response to the recent HAB event in Lake George and similar occurrences in lakes across New York state puts us in a unique position to answer those questions and provide insights to decision makers,” said Dr. Rick Relyea, director of The Jefferson Project and a professor of biological sciences at RPI. The initial results confirm the widespread existence of dolichospermum fuscum—a cyanobacteria commonly found in Lake George and other lakes in abundance below the lake’s surface in autumn—in high concentrations in the recent surface blooms.

The algae are known to have little pouches that make it possible for them to float in the deep waters of the open lake, but its buoyancy is so weak that it can only rise to the surface under extremely calm conditions, according to researchers.

“Since dolichospermum requires at least two days to reproduce, the high density of cyanobacteria observed in Lake George indicates that the algae were likely growing for many days or weeks in the cool water before surfacing.

This surfacing during the HAB was likely enabled by calm water conditions and then driven into these bays and near shore waters off of Lake George Village by wind or water currents according to preliminary computer models” said Dr. Harry Kolar, Jefferson Project associate director and IBM fellow.

“Further work continues on the sources of the algae and nutrients required to trigger and sustain the bloom, including the lake bed and watershed runoff.”

“The second important question is: Was this a toxic bloom?” Relyea said. “Some dolichospermum species are capable of producing toxins that irritate the skin and can harm the liver and nervous system and hence we need to know whether the Lake George HAB was toxic (as seen in other lakes).”

Analysis by the Jefferson Project water sample has confirmed the initial results of DEC. Toxins were not detected.

“The third critical question then remains: While not observed in this bloom, could toxic blooms occur in the future on Lake George?”

Relyea said.

Jefferson Project research is now fully investigating and delving deeply into the drivers of toxicity in these algae, he said. The work is leveraging RPI’s Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS), coupled with IBM’s and RPI’s most advanced sensor networks and supercomputing, which officials said is the most powerful ever deployed on any freshwater ecosystem.

4 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

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

Editorial: RJDeLuke@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com Advertising: HarryW@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com Publisher & Editor Harry Weinhagen Associate Editor R.J. DeLuke Editor Emeritus Rod Bacon Sales and Customer Service Harry Weinhagen Production Manager Graphic Precision Contributing Writers Susan Campbell Jill Nagy Jennifer Farnsworth Christine Gaf Andrea Palmer Rachel Phillips Glens Falls Business Journal is published monthly, the second week of each month, by Weinhagen Associates, LLC and mailed to business and professional people in Warren and Washington counties.

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Glens Falls Business Journal has been founded to promote business in Warren and Washington counties and to provide a forum that will increase the awareness of issues and activities that are of interest to the business community. Subscription price is $25.00 per year. Third class postage paid at Glens Falls, New York.

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Adirondack Trust Community Fund Gives Out Grants To Region’s Nonprofit Agencies The Adirondack Trust Co. Community Fund has awarded Lend-A-Hand Grants to 37 local nonprofit organizations.

Since 2012, Lend-A-Hand Grants have been awarded annually using community funds from ATCCF’s annual Autumn of Giving Match Campaign.

Officials said because of the economic stresses COVID-19 has placed on businesses and individuals, the Adirondack Trust Co. fully funded this year’s grant efforts, donating $77,000 in lieu of the typical match campaign.

“In a year full of challenges and difficult decisions, the Community Fund is grateful that Adirondack Trust quickly stepped up to fund the 2020 Lend-A-Hand Grants,” said ATCCF Advisory Committee Chair Brian Straughter. “We are so grateful for our community partnerships like this one.”

“There was absolutely no question when it came to funding this year’s grants,” said Adirondack Trust President and CEO Charles V. Wait, Jr. “Ensuring the Community Fund’s perpetuation and its ability to assist so many incredible nonprofits was a top priority, but the best part is that, even though the community didn’t have to donate this year, so many did.”

Lend-A-Hand Grants help local nonprofits throughout Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties obtain critical funding for a diverse spectrum of needs: combatting food insecurity, improving living conditions, providing medical supplies and personal protective equipment, and so much more.

Grant awards were provided to the following organizations: • 4-H Youth Development (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County) to help support programming and education for community families during a remote learning environment.

• After the Fire to provide fire victims with gift cards for supplies they lost due to fire.

• AIM Services, Inc. to help purchase of laptops for participants in the Employment Services Program.

• Ben Osborn Memorial Fund to help purchase Ben’s Personal Hygiene kits, which will be distributed to teens.

• Caffè Lena to create programming and concerts for an online audience and support the use of a professional streaming platform as the new revenue streams develops.

• Camp Abilities Saratoga to support the summer camp program that offers blind, visually impaired, and deaf/blind campers athletic activities.

• Catie Hoch Foundation to support the purchase of gas cards for families of children battling cancer.

• Clifton Park Halfmoon Emergency Corps to be used to conduct Safe Sitter Babysitting safety classes for 48 middle school students.

• Coesa, to provide professional wellness retreats that offer tools, resources, and information about a variety of mindfulness and well-being methods.

• Community Hospice (St. Peter’s Health Partners) to support pediatric bereavement services.

• C . R . E . A . T. E C om mu n it y Stu d i o s to provide expressive activities to engage youth, while offering a safe environment to foster social and individual growth.

• Double H Ranch to assist with the shift to alternative/virtual programs through the purchase of technical equipment and software, camper supplies and seasonal staff stipends.

• First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa to help families by providing lunches during the summer, when free or reduced-price lunches from

the school district are not available.

• Flower & Fruit Mission to assist Saratoga Hospital to host a Lactation Counselor Training Course.

• Franklin Community Center to support Project Lift, which works to provide at-risk youth with activities to promote positive youth development and to increase social-emotional skills.

• Gateway House of Peace to help it fulfill their mission of caring for those dying and supporting their families free of charge.

• G l e n s Fa l l s A r e a Yo u t h C e n t e r Grant to help bridge the gap between ambition and opportunity to break the generational cycle of poverty.

• Habitat for Humanity Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties to be used to cover the cost of materials and labor for the construction of a wheelchair accessible ramp.

• L . E . A . P ( Wa s h i n g t o n C o u n ty Economic Opportunity Council) to support Head Start.

• Mechanicville Area Community Services Center to go toward the development and implementation of Boys on the Move, a program addressing self-esteem, respectful and communication, teamwork.

• Nipper Knolls Equine Center Funding to provide food and care to retired and or rescued horses used in the equine assisted activities program.

• Northeast Parent & Child S ociety (Northern Rivers Family of Services) to allow Northern Rivers to continue to address the rise in food insecurity.

• Open Door Mission to provide food and direct expenses for its Hunger Relief program.

• Rebuilding Together Saratoga County to fund home safety kits for 125 homeowners in need.

•Saratoga Bridges to support the Creative Endeavors Art Center programming.

• S a r at o g a C e nt e r f or t h e Fa m i l y Grant to support the growing need for financial assistance to clients who are weathering a health crisis without jobs or health insurance.

• Saratoga County Children’s Committee to help support the Empty Stocking Project in 2021, which helps fill the needs and some gifts for children during the holiday season.

• Saratoga Hospital and Saratoga Community Health Center (CHC) to support the purchase of X-ray equipment.

• Saratoga Pride, an affiliate of the Capital District Gay Community to sustain and expand support for LGBTQ community members and allies.

• Saratoga Senior Center to support Legacies for Life, an oral history project for seniors in Saratoga County.

• Shelters of Saratoga to help it obtain COVID-19 supplies, including PPE, masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies.

• SNACpack Program Inc. to support the distribution of weekly bags of food to children who live with food insecurity.

• Veterans & Community Housing Coalition to provide food, PPE, and other essentials to homeless veterans and low-income families.

• Wait House (Warren/Washington County Homeless Youth Coalition, Inc.) to support the youth Street Outreach and Safe Harbour programs.

• Wilton Emergency Squad for upgraded technology to provide virtual lifesaving education programming and training.

•Wilton Food Pantry Grant to support the Children’s Healthy Choice breakfast/lunch program.

The Community Fund’s website is ATCCF.org.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 5

Mystic World, Long A Fixture In Lake George, Lake Luzerne Designer Thrift Shop Opens Opens A New Shop In Saratoga Springs Features Name Brand Apparel & Accesories

Violet Cannistraci, owner of Mystic World, poses in her new shop in Saratoga Springs. The business was long a fixture at the Wilton Mall and in downtown Lake George.

BY JILL NAGY Whether nostalgic for tie-dye T-shirts or need just the right crystal to help get through difficult times, Mystic World strives to fill the bill. The business, long a fixture at the Wilton Mall in Saratoga County and in downtown Lake George, recently opened a new store at 423 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.

They are still trying to get settled in at the new location, owner Violet Cannistraci said, and December was a very busy month, sometimes too busy for store employees to answer the telephone.

She said people found the Saratoga location mainly by word of mouth but also through listings on Facebook and Google. “The support for local business is amazing,” she said.

Some shoppers patronized both the Wilton Mall and the Saratoga Springs outlets, searching for just the right crystal. Each crystal is unique, Cannistraci noted, hand picked by her at gem shows.

“My house is full of crystals and I always have crystals with me,” she said. They are the most popular item in her stores. People buy them for their possible healing properties, because they are beautiful to look at and as a way to connect with the earth, she said.

Mystic World offers a variety of items in addition to crystals and tie-dye shirts. There

©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

are incense, aromatic oils, herbs, candles, jewelry, singing bowls, statues, and a variety of hand crafted items from around the world.

Cannistraci has particular affection for the hand-crafted items and noted that she got her start importing and selling “items I fell in love with (on my travels) and wanted to share with others.” She began traveling as a teenager, spending time in Ecuador and buying things from members of indigenous communities there.

Her first sales outlet was a holiday season pop-up store at the Wilton Mall. From there, she expanded to a seasonal shop on Canada Street in Lake George. She has been there for about a decade.

Also for the past decade, she has had a permanent outlet at the Wilton Mall. She was on the lookout for the right location in Saratoga Springs when the Broadway location became available. She opened that store in November.

A native of Vermont, Cannistraci also recently bought a home in Saratoga Springs.

She is now setting up for online sales, still “a work in progress.”

The shops are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday through Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The telephone number is 518 886-1202. They are on the web at mysticworldny.com.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH High fashion has come to Lake Luzerne thanks to Cre Whitty, owner of the designer thrift shop Cre’s Closet.

The business, which opened late fall, is filled with brand name women’s apparel and accessories.

Whitty said her entire life has had a connection to the fashion industry, beginning with her mother, who was a designer in Manhattan in the 1960s and 1970s. Whitty herself worked in the city during the 1980s and it was then that she fell in love with the concept of thrift stores.

She moved to Lake Luzerne a few years ago. When the opportunity presented itself to start her own thrift shop, she said she knew it was time to take it.

“Lake Luzerne has been so supportive of me. I began scouting out places and found this spot. I saw the opportunity and just dove in. The people here have just been so great,” said Whitty.

She said right now she has no other employees, but that may change after the pandemic. She does have a close friend who helps her out both at the store and in choosing the pieces she puts into her shop. They are not a consignment shop, but rather offer store credit to anyone who has an article of clothing or accessory that is acceptable to the owner.

She said with her background she knows where to go when it comes to finding the right items to fill the store with.

“I’m really careful with what I choose.

Right now, we have women’s clothing all the way up to size 28. Eventually, I would love to have men’s clothing, small furniture, and housewares,” said Whitty.

Cre Whitty opened the designer thrift shop Cre’s Closet at 12 School St. in Lake Luzerne.

Courtesy Cre’s Closet

Whitty said the pandemic has made things challenging and she is hopeful that the new year will bring welcome changes.

She is still working on her website but said encourages anyone interested to check her out on Facebook.

“We do have some stock of purses, shoes, jewelry, and small houseware items, like bowls, some real special pieces,” said Whitty.

Cre’s Closet is located at 12 School St. in Lake Luzerne. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. They are closed on Wednesdays. The phone number is (518) 696-6759.

Andy Daly Special Events Co-ordinator Burgoyne Quality Hardware & Lumber.

Reads

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

6 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

SPECIAL SECTION

Corporate Tax / Business Planning Company Owners Should Develop Business Plans That Reflect Their Vision for Future

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL The fourth quarter of any fiscal year is a busy time for CPAs. But this year, advising clients is posing more than the usual challenges.

“It has been the busiest year-end in 10 years because of uncertainty with taxes and the economy,” said Paul A. Curtis, CPA, a founding partner of CMJ, LLP in Queensbury. “Our firm was in a rush to close business sales because the new administration is thinking of eliminating the maximum 20 percent capital gains rate and raising personal income tax rates.”

“A company that has grown to a million dollar business pays $200,000 under the current tax code but may have a $400,000 tax bill if they wait to cash in next year,” he said, which is why CMJ closed six major transactions in December.

Uncertainty scares businesses to death.”

“It is difficult enough for CPAs to get out of 2020, much less plan for 2021, when passing laws pertaining to deductions, depreciation and taxes is delayed,” said Laurie A. Stillwell, a CPA in Saratoga Springs.

“My biggest fear professionally is that it is difficult to advise clients on how to move forward from a business and personal tax perspective,” she said. “I have never been busier, but I want to be proactive and that is nearly impossible.”

One issue that was clarified when the CARES Act and supplemental appropriations were signed on Dec. 27 is what would happen if small businesses were unable to repay their loans under the Payroll Protection Program.

Many businesses in Stillwell’s practice have taken out PPP loans since they became available under the stimulus and relief package enacted last March, she said. The loans had to be used to pay salaries, insurance, overhead and other specific expenses to help qualifying businesses retain staff and stay afloat.

“The Treasury Department said in the original legislation carried forward that if the borrower defaults and meets criteria for the PPP loan to be forgiven, the small business does not have to pay tax on the cancelled debt,” she said.

Paul A. Curtis, CPA, founding partner of CMJ, LLP in Queensbury.

Courtesy CMJ, LLP

Stillwell cited some of the PPP guidelines. The goal of the loan is to retain workforce and keep the business viable. If staff drops too much, the Small Business Administration, which is “the rulemaker on this program,” may not forgive the entire balance due.

“There are a fair number of exceptions, exclusions, client protections and safe harbors built into the regulations,” she said. “These try to provide targeted relief for companies, although sometimes it is just not feasible to keep a business open.”

As an even bigger concession for struggling businesses, the new law makes actual expenses paid with PPP loan proceeds deductible.

“There has never been anything like a 100 percent tax-free loan,” said Curtis. “This has a major impact on all businesses, no matter what size.”

On a loan of $100,000, for example, the savings to a business could be $10,000 or more, Stillwell said.

There is an extensive list of tax credits and deductions businesses rely on that the CARES Act carried into 2021.

“These are habitually extended a year at a time, which is a band-aid approach,” said Stillwell.

“One extension we were looking for is the provision in the original CARES Act that allows employers to defer some of this year’s payroll tax, which is their portion of Social Security and Medicare, into 2022,” she said. “Depending on how the company files taxes, this can help provide cash flow for the business.”

The Qualified Business Income Deduction was also extended.

“This is a deduction put in place in the last minutes of 2017 and effective for 2018,” said Curtis. “When the tax on C Corporations was reduced from 39 percent to a flat tax of 21 percent, it was not fair to S Corporations and partnerships, which are subject to ordinary personal income tax rates.”

The QBID is a 20 percent reduction in taxable profit, Curtis said, “which somewhat reduces taxes for individuals with small businesses.”

The fourth quarter is typically busy for CPAs because it is the time when they may be advising clients on re-establishing their business as a Subchapter S Corporation from a C Corporation in order to eliminate double taxation.

“C Corporations pay a flat tax and then dividends to the owners are taxed up to 24 percent,” said Curtis. “Whether to make the transition has much to do with the owner’s exit strategy.”

Curtis said it is “almost impossible to sell corporate stock.” That is because a new owner inherits all of the known, and unknown, assets and liabilities of the company, such as a lawsuit that does not emerge until after the purchase, he said.

“Risk is reduced with an S Corporation because you can pick and choose which assets and liabilities you want,” said Curtis.

To enact the sale of a C Corporation’s assets, the owners have to liquidate and pay a dividend, when double taxation enters the picture. Both the company and its share owners are subject to tax, whereas partners of an S Corporation are subject to only one level of income tax, and personal income tax rates were trimmed greatly

Laurie A. Stillwell is a CPA with offices in Saratoga Springs. by the last administration, Curtis said.

“Changing the filing status to an S Corporation can result in a 19 percent net tax reduction to business owners,” Curtis said. “A C Corporation still makes sense for smaller, high-growth companies but mature companies, with their higher cash flow for payouts, should consider changing how they file.”

Now is the time CPA firms are gearing up for tax season and Curtis said moving last year’s personal income tax filing deadline from April to July greatly helped firms get through their backlogs last season.

“We did a straight-out crunch, with half the staff working three days and the other half another three days, and we were busy with extensions through the fall,” he said. “I suspect the federal government will extend the due date again and hope to hear soon.”

While the upcoming administration has hinted that personal income tax rates may be going back up and the maximum capital gains tax rate may be done away with, the future is cloudy.

“My crystal ball broke back in April,” said Stillwell.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 7

Technological Innovations Will Continue To Revolutionize Functions In Every Day Life

BY STEPHEN KYNE, CFP There is an old curse that reads, “May you live in interesting times.” I think we can all agree that we are certainly in interesting times.

From the pandemic and the economy, to the political climate, 2020 (and so far, 2021) will long be remembered as a consequential year.

The question now: Where do we go from here?

2020 was a tale of two economies. Small businesses experienced a very different reality last year than large businesses. We all know local business owners who are struggling, or who have gone out of business, altogether. We know service sector workers whose financial lives are in complete collapse. Yet, on the other side, many large national businesses are booming. It’s a travesty, and our hearts go out to those suffering.

Things will get better.

For investors who stayed invested during 2020, it turned out to be a surprisingly positive year, especially in the technology sector.

This pandemic would have been untenable without recent technological innovations. Not only has technology allowed us to stay connected to loved ones during shutdowns, it has also allowed more people to work productively from home than ever before. As a result, non-tech companies, their employees and customers, have been direct beneficiaries since these companies have not had to shut down, could retain their employees, and consumers could still gain access to products and services which are essential to modern life. Imagine how much worse things would be if this had struck in the ‘90s.

What do we see for 2021?

For all of the relative insanity we’ve experienced so far this year, there are some reasons to be optimistic about the next 12 months.

Technological innovations will continue to revolutionize the way we function in our everyday lives, and will do so at an everincreasing pace. This is because we have all now been conditioned to accept new technologies when we otherwise might have been hesitant.

We expect technology, as a sector, to continue to do well.

Fact: The Moderna vaccine had already been designed by Jan. 13, 2020, just two days after the COVID gene sequence had been made public! It will end up saving millions of lives—possibly yours—and we have technology to thank for it.

As more become vaccinated, and shutdowns end, we expect the greater economy to begin to normalize. It may take well into the second quarter, but it is an eventuality.

Some are worried about what a single-partycontrolled federal government means, so let’s address that.

Markets typically like gridlock, because it is easier for businesses to plan if they know the rules are not going to change. Normally a sweep by either party would be cause for concern, but

•

Stephen Kyne, CFP, partner at Sterling Manor Financial LLC in Saratoga Springs.

Courtesy Sterling Manor Financial LLC

this year, markets are reacting positively. This is largely because there is only a technical majority in the Senate, with the vice president acting as the tie-breaker. This will force compromise, which is ultimately beneficial.

One thing that will almost certainly pass in the next few weeks is additional stimulus and relief for the American public, which markets are applauding as well. Expect another round of direct payments (checks), as well as a delay in initiatives to raise taxes on anyone, rich or poor.

In fact, we expect a repeal of the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which would actually, disproportionately, benefit the wealthy.

It is also very conceivable that Congress extends provisions of the CARES act in 2021, including an elimination of early withdrawal penalties for hardship withdrawals, and another break on required minimum distributions.

To that end, if you do not need your required minimum distributions in order to maintain your cash flow, you may want to wait to take them in case Congress eliminates them for 2021, as it did in 2020.

Here’s an interesting idea for any high school seniors graduating this year. Freshman applications and admissions are down more than 20 percent at some schools, leaving schools in a position to have to compete aggressively for students to fill their rolls. Couple that with the fact that most students don’t have SAT/ ACT scores to report, and you may find that the dream school you thought was scholastically unattainable is suddenly an option!

As the pandemic comes under control and our lives are allowed to regain some semblance of normalcy, we expect the economy to continue to improve. With that, we expect the broader US stock indices to grow by 10-15 percent in 2021. We also believe that technology will again continue to be a driver of growth.

Business Report Strategies For Strengthening Your Business

BY DAVID CUMMING As a small business owner, you are playing a big role in driving our nation’s economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses create two out of every three net new jobs in the private sector. Currently, there are over 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S., accounting for 47.3 percent of all U.S. employees.

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you wear many hats, including overseeing the finances of your business. Each day, you face critical decisions that may have an enormous impact on the future success of your company. Questions about day-today cash flow, attracting and retaining talented employees and balancing finances at work and at home are just some of the challenges you must consider as you grow your business.

Every business is unique, but the five critical strategies for strengthening a business for longterm growth are the same.

1. Managing cash flow Having an effective cash flow strategy can assist you in keeping your finger on the pulse of how quickly and effectively cash is moving in and out of your business, while also working to enhance the yield on your short-term assets.

You’ll also need skills and resources to address a broad range of credit structures.

2. Protecting your assets Unforeseen events can jeopardize the value of your business. What if something happens to you, or another person who is critical to the success of the business? Or what if you get sued?

Knowing what risks you face and how to avoid the loss they can cause can give you the freedom to run your business successfully. Some protection strategies include business insurance, as well as a comprehensive asset protection plan.

3. Attracting and retaining talented employees The most valuable asset of any growing business is its employees. Rewarding and motivating key people with benefits such as a retirement plan is critical to the ongoing success of your business.

In addition to helping to attract and keep good employees, there are potential tax benefits to offering a solid retirement plan. But what type of plan is the right fit for your business?

Each plan has its advantages and

•

David Cumming, financial advisor in Saratoga Springs at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Courtesy Morgan Stanley

disadvantages, so it’s important to understand all options to determine which plan is most appropriate.

4. Optimizing investment decisions Whether in business or on the personal front, you may be reluctant to shoulder the responsibilities associated with managing an investment portfolio. Discretionary accounts are ideal for busy business owners who don’t have the time to connect with their financial advisor on every decision. The timeliness of transactions can make a significant difference not only by enabling portfolio trading when you are not contactable, but also when price sensitive announcements demand immediate portfolio action. This differs from non-discretionary accounts where clients must authorize trades for every decision.

5. Integrating your business plan with your personal plan With so many responsibilities to juggle, you may not have the time—or the inclination—to tackle these five critical strategies on your own.

Consider establishing a wealth advisory team that includes a financial advisor, corporate attorney, estate attorney, accountant and investment banker or business valuation specialist to help you make informed decisions about your business and personal finances.

8 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

SPECIAL SECTION

Outlook 2021

BY MICHAEL BITTEL As we leave 2020 and move into 2021, I believe that everyone in our beautiful region came to the same conclusion, we need each other more than ever. We have been blessed to see and experience collaboration on a scale not seen in our lifetime.

Through adversity has come strength, caring and support.

These characteristics not only will continue to get us through this pandemic, but it will carry us to new heights as we look forward into the year 2021.

Let us remember all of the businesses and families effected through temporary or permanent shutdowns of their livelihood.

With small businesses being the backbone of our region, this past year has had a profound effect on many long-time businesses, their employees and their families. There are also many businesses who are still open, but whose sales are a fraction of what they once were.

This year brings in a new wave of challenges.

Challenges like how fast the vaccine will be distributed. When will we fully open again as a society and economy? How will shortages in sales tax revenue and lower income tax revenue effect local and state government spending in 2021? What regulations will be here to stay or be rolled back once we fully open again?

The year 2021 will also usher in a new wave of opportunities. Opportunities in the form of there being a lot of money on the sidelines. Bank deposits are way up year over year.

We need people to go out and spend money again and spur our economy. When the time is right and we are fully open again, people will get out again locally and spend money to support our region. I know our business community is ready and able to fully open once we are given the go ahead.

Here are some priorities on the horizon for our community.

Childcare provider expansion is a must for our region. We are short staffed in many businesses due to lack of childcare options. We cannot afford any new taxes on our businesses

Dan Stec

Continued From Page 1 The sudden shift to “remote” work and learning also spotlighted the severe disadvantage for families and businesses in communities lacking cellular and high-speed broadband.

A couple years ago, a tax was included in the state budget to tax the construction of fiber in state rightof-ways. This has been very counterproductive to the state’s effort to encourage providers to build new networks in unserved areas.

I opposed this tax and am now calling for its repeal. Additionally, though hundreds of millions of dollars have been awarded for broadband projects, it is very challenging to know exactly who has access to high-speed connectivity or when a planned

Michael Bittel, ARCC chief executive officer and president.

Courtesy ARCC or our families. Now is the time for all levels of government to look at reigning in spending and not raising taxes.

We need our government officials to look at our government spending priorities and spend what we need to do now and put out what we would like to spend in future years.

Our businesses have had to make many painful cuts in employees, salaries and benefits over the past year. We hope that our elected officials can make the same cuts where needed in government, yet fund programs vital to our region.

We do need our elected officials to look at investments that will pay off in the short and long term. A plan and implementation for widespread broadband as well as updated sewer and water infrastructure is a must for us to compete in a regional and a global market.

We are happy to put 2020 behind us.We learned a lot. We came together like never before and we are ready to move forward. Through our continued strength, caring and support for one another we are ready for 2021 to be a year of opportunity. expansion will make service available.

I have voted, and will continue to push, for a Public Service Commission led effort to gather this data on a granular level so we have a clear picture in every community of who has access to what, and can then target funds for broadband appropriately.

After serving eight years in the Assembly, I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue representing Glens Falls and this region as state senator. I have had a very good friend and mentor in state Sen. Betty Little, and wish her well in retirement.

We are fortunate to live in area that has had a strong economy, with a healthy balance of industries, hospitality, tourism, agriculture, construction, health care and the public-sector. Though the challenges of recovering from COVID will be daunting, I am optimistic and look forward to doing all I can to help.

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BY DOUG FORD As I prepare to write this article regarding the construction outlook for 2021, I can’t help but think about all that has transpired since I wrote last year’s column. At that time, no one could have predicted what lay ahead just a few short weeks after the story went to print.

As we move into this much anticipated new year, many of the challenges I outlined for 2020 still exist and have only become more complicated due to COVID-19. Despite all the obstacles the construction industry endured, they stilled fared better than most. In the Northeast, and even closer to home, construction has been strong throughout the pandemic, in part driven by new home construction and remodeling.

Unfortunately, we cannot look forward without at least looking back briefly. It all started in March when the COVID-19 infection rates escalated and Gov. Cuomo shutdown construction for the entire state, lumping Upstate New York in with New York City.

Most industry affiliated organizations and legislators understand that upstate and the city are very different so much debate ensued to handle them differently. As a result of being shut down, most of the skilled laborers were laid off and joined many others in the unemployment pool. There were several weeks of uncertainty as builders and remodelers tried to make sense of what was unfolding in front of them.

Once construction was again deemed “essential” and business resumed, many of the skilled trades were slow to rejoin the workforce out of fear, and assistance from enhanced unemployment benefits also contributed. This only compounded the struggle builders were having with labor shortages prior to the pandemic and for the past few years.

As noted in last year’s 2020 forecast, the number one issue facing the construction industry was the lack of skilled labor and this has not changed despite the efforts gone into promoting the trades. Most contractors are confident 2021 will be a good year; going into it with a back log of work and actively bidding on new work, yet there is still an undertone of uncertainty. The political and economic climate along with an upsurge in infection rates have many worried at least for the short term.

So, what’s different this year? What’s preventing more homes from being built and renovations from happening? Both great questions.

The list of answers is long so I will just touch on a few. First and foremost is the lack of labor. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Saratoga Builders Association, Curtis Lumber, and many others who have diligently worked over the past years to bring awareness to the trades and the opportunities they present.

Doug Ford is vice president of Curtis Lumber Company.

Courtesy Curtis Lumber

The single-family home building and renovation surge created a heightened demand for building materials which was not anticipated, especially after the devastating start to the year.

This increased demand came at a time when the work environment in manufacturing facilities had been drastically altered due to COVID-19. Social distancing requirements were put in place, labor shortages due to illness and/or childcare situations, additional safety measures were enforced, and adherence to CDC and OSHA mandates all of which impacted the ability for plants to function normally and manufacture products.

The high demand, production inefficiencies, product shortages and workforce challenges have all contributed to significant price increases and delayed shipments. The supply chain is currently a big unknown in our ability to forecast for 2021.

Suppliers like Curtis Lumber struggle to project accurate lead times and extended pricing to its professional customers. At a time when we should be excited about the increased volume, we are more concerned about our ability to meet our customers’ expectations. We are utilizing technology and increased communication to partner with our customers and work together to get the job done.

It’s been 10 months since COVID-19 hit us like a giant wrecking ball. We’re learning to manage through it, but the effects will be long lasting. Normal as we once knew it is gone and will be replaced with something very different. I am optimistic that post pandemic, our industry will continue to be a leader in the economic recovery as it has in many other catastrophic events throughout history. We learn to use the resources we have to their fullest extent.

Good companies never let a crisis go to waste.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 9

BY KENNETH J. ENTENMANN This past year was an interesting one, to say the least. Though some may prefer to use other adjectives to describe 2020. COVID-19 provided a vast disruption of economic activity, with U.S. GDP declining 31.7 percent in the second quarter.

However, the U.S. economy demonstrated remarkable resiliency and rebounded 32.7 percent in the third quarter. While the economy continued to grow in the fourth quarter, activity did slow, particularly in the labor markets. It is estimated that the full year 2020 U.S. GDP will decline around 3-5 percent.

As we flip the calendar to 2021, great uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 remains.

Nonetheless, our 2021 economic outlook remains optimistic.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 economic disruption has endured longer than most anticipated. The hope of a short duration event prompted by the quick “flattening of the curve” in the spring soon dissipated as COVID spiked in the summer and again during the holiday season. Portions of the country remain in lockdown with severe economic consequences.

However, the vaccines are slowly making an impact and it is widely expected that the vaccination process will accelerate. This provides hope that a return to economic normalcy is coming although the timing is still uncertain.

COVID will negatively impact the economy at least through the first quarter, probably into the second. However, the economy is poised for a very strong second half of the year.

Despite the COVID uncertainty, the economy held its own in the fourth quarter and there are significant areas of economic momentum that should sustain growth until the vaccine is widely administered. Capital goods investment and consumer spending remain very strong.

The purchasing managers’ indices for both the manufacturing and service sectors continue to expand.

The auto and housing markets are booming.

And global equity markets are trading at or near record high levels.

It has been difficult to watch the dysfunction of Washington D.C. The federal government’s response to COVID back in March deserves accolades. While not perfect, it was swift, massive and highly effective. Large companies have managed rather well throughout the crisis.

Unfortunately, many of the programs targeted at individuals and small businesses “expired” in the fourth quarter of 2020 and election-driven political wrangling prevented further response. The disappointing failure to replenish these programs are the main reason for the slower rate of growth in the fourth quarter. However, with the election behind us, further stimulus will be forthcoming.

A new $900 billion program has passed. This “skinny” program (I guess $900 billion qualifies as “skinny”) is targeted at the right places like the long-term unemployed and small business.

President-elect Biden called the $900 billion program a “down payment.” Further fiscal stimulus is highly likely. This additional fiscal support will aid the economy through what

Kenneth J. Entenmann, senior VP, chief investment officer, NBT Wealth Management.

Courtesy NBT Wealth Management

is hopefully the last stand of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Reserve Bank will supplement the fiscal stimulus with continued easy monetary policy. Fed Chairmen Jay Powell has stated the Fed will provide monetary support “for as long as it takes.”

Inflation remains muted with major inflation indicators (PCE, CPI) hovering around 1.5 percent, far below the Fed’s 2 percent target.

This green lights easy monetary policy. In short, the interest rates are likely to remain very low and the economy will remain awash in liquidity.

Again, this will aid the economy as we await wide-spread vaccination.

Lastly, personal savings rates have grown at record levels and it is estimated that there is over $1 trillion in savings. That is a huge stockpile of money just waiting to be unleashed into the economy. There is much discussion over the long-term impacts of COVID. It remains to be seen if business travel returns to pre-COVID levels. But we doubt individuals have lost their desire to travel and vacation.

When it is safe to go out, we believe people will, with $1 trillion burning a hole in their pockets.

This has the potential for explosive economic activity.

Our economic outlook remains positive while acknowledging that the timing of economic recovery is dependent on achieving some degree of control of the coronavirus. It is our sincere hope that the vaccination programs will diminish the virus risk early in 2021 and economic activity can begin the normalization process.

We do not expect an “all clear” siren that ends the COVID-19 crisis. But rather a slow and steady increase in economic confidence as the vaccination programs and herd immunity take hold. In the interim period, we believe there are still areas of strength in the economy that can sustain growth.

Fiscal and monetary stimulus will continue to provide massive liquidity to the overall economy. Low interest rates and huge personal savings will fuel corporate and consumer spending. Our 2021 economic optimism will require patience.

BY THOMAS ALBRECHT Most would agree that looking in the rear view mirror would be a very nice way of saying goodbye to 2020. It has created some unprecedented challenges.

However finding ways to be creative and staying positive has carried us through the year. The challenges include COVID-19, material shortages and the escalation of material cost.

The year was very promising in the building industry back in February with many projects signed for. Then along came the virus. We took the approach to follow CDC guidelines, which wasn’t received by everyone very well. Most have conformed over time.

The saving grace for Hilltop included having four essential projects under construction, which allowed us to keep about 75 percent of our workforce. Another blessing was the Payroll Protection Plan that helped with paying employees whether they worked or not.

There have been a number of things that have altered the construction process including employee shortages. There is a lack of those who would like to join a construction team and to make it a career choice. This has been a problem for a couple years and continues to be as we move forward.

As we continued through 2020, unexpected surprises included lumber shortages where one might expect to pick up some common items, only to find out that they are back ordered.

Shortages lead to a major increase in material costs. Some items increased as much as 30 percent, which made it difficult to maintain profitability.

Another impact was that manufacturers decided to mainstream there products, meaning they would drop multiple choices, leaving contractors with limited choices. For instance, vinyl siding has unrealistic lead times and the companies have dropped the number of color choices available.

These are some of the issues we will work through this year, but I think the hardest thing to deal with is trying to help our clients understand that we can’t make promises on timelines or availability. We pride ourselves on completing projects on time, but now in the industry there are unanswered questions that

Thomas Albrecht, president and CEO, Hilltop Construction Co., Hudson Falls.

Courtesy Hilltop Construction Co.

affect those timelines.

As the year progressed, a new surge of clients from downstate inquired about building or renovating a house they just purchased up this way. In my 44 years, I have never seen this amount of activity, in this short of time, from people who had decided to move out of the New York City.

This activity is a result of low interest rates that I hope it will continue well into 2021.

Considering our environment, the new year is starting off good, with projects leaning toward the residential side of things.

I see more hands-free things be developed for new construction, like additional automatic doors and bathroom fixtures and advanced technology for swipe pads or eye recognition to open doors. Paper bulletins and menus might go away. Even currency might become a thing of the past.

A lot of this technology has already been introduced. I think more innovative items will accelerate to make society even more hands free in all buildings.

One thing we know for certain is that the construction industry is ever changing and we must keep up. As we move into 2021, we all must look at our situation with hope and know that there are better days ahead. Lets look to help one another.

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10 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

Outlook 2021 Continued From Page 9

BY JIM SIPLON As we say farewell to 2020 and put a year like no other in our rear-view mirror, we are taking some time to recognize the opportunities, as well as the challenges, that are emerging from the most challenging year in recent history.

As the leader of strategic economic development in Warren County, the Economic Development Corp. is proud to be positioning local businesses and municipalities for success in a post-COVID world. Our mission has always begun with attracting, retaining and growing business in our county and has expanded with the advent of the pandemic to include several additional roles fundamental to our long-term economic vitality.

Our business community has demonstrated remarkable resilience and strength. Our large manufacturers have largely weathered the storm and have done all they can to contribute to supporting the community’s needs during this crisis. The medical device industry, paper and general manufacturing have shown that resilience.

Our hospital and healthcare entities, led by Glens Falls Hospital and Hudson Headwaters, have been heroes and leaders providing us all with priceless care and support. The locally produced documentary “Behind the Mask,” available on YouTube, provides a glimpse to that remarkable work and is worth watching for all to appreciate the remarkable work of our medical community.

Our small businesses have struggled but many have persevered, working diligently to modify their business practices almost daily to stay afloat. Our tourism economy, in particular, rallied together with a collation of public and private leaders to rebound beyond expectation.

There are encouraging signs of new and relocating businesses poised for success with stories such as Kirsh Helmets, Burch Bottle and Packaging and JUST Water all making investments to grow in the area. Area tourism entities invested as well with new hotels as well as investments at many classic resorts, continued investment at West Mountain and Gore and a renewed public-private working group that helped stabilize and even grow our tourism season in the face of a pandemic to near parity with 2019.

There is so much to be encouraged by in all of these developments.

To facilitate this continued growth and help chart a course for success in a rapidly evolving economic future, the EDC is focused on key fundamental enablers that will drive the next generation of economic vitality.

Making sure the entire county has access to broadband and communications is an area on intense activity with an update of our area’s existing facilities, a survey launching this month to assess access and service and a regional coalition building to advocate for additional capacity. Continued support of the infrastructure needs, particularly in

Jim Siplon, interim president, EDC Warren County.

Courtesy EDC Warren County

water and waste water resources, is also a key priority along with clean energy access.

Continued awareness and investment in our county’s myriad of world-class recreation assets, including exciting new ones very much in demand such as bike trails, the sport courts and new disc golf course in Crandall Park. Support of ongoing efforts to improve access and viability of public transportation, affordable housing such as the new complex on Broad Street in Glen Falls readying for occupancy, child-care and workforce development are also long-term areas of investment and optimism.

One important new channel of development is the wave of professional relocation that has been in motion for some time but has been accelerated by the impact of COVID. The EDC is investing in understanding this migration with new data sources and analysis. Insights gathered to date demonstrate the validity to this and a sense of volume to it.

Professionals have come to understand that they can do their job from almost anywhere (assuming basic capabilities such as broadband) and are opting for places like ours that have lower cost of living and higher quality of life. To be better positioned for this wave, we are investing in our communications including social media, web, content and member support. The net of this is a growing reputation as one of the best places to relocate your business, professional activity and family by may reputable media sources.

We will continue to develop around this new and exciting channel of development.

Looking forward, we believe the Warren County region is truly positioned for success.

We are proud of all in this region for the unprecedented cooperation and commitment to each other and our shared future. We are optimistic about the opportunities for growth ahead of us.

Crisis can be a catalyst for coming together and that is indeed what we are proud to do with the entire community we serve. The business community, municipalities and people of Warren County have grown stronger in the past year and we believe the best is in front of us.

BY MARK SHAW Over the past few years, we have discussed several different yearly topics on what to watch.

In 2018 we discussed everything as a service.

Servers, email, everything heading to the cloud.

This was a long discussion on how to change your current hardware and software spend from a capital expense to a monthly service model.

In 2019 we talked about security. Why it’s so important and why doing the basics is the most critical thing you can do for your business.

Employees are firm’s biggest asset and weakest link. Starting with a plan that allows you to help educate and train your team is the first step in Cyber Security 101.

And finally, last year in 2020, we discussed how your cyber security company should NOT be your internal or external IT resources. They hold different functions, require different skills, and much like in accounting - one person should not have all the keys to the financial kingdom.

This is not dissimilar from your technology.

Now in 2021, everything is coming together.

All the technology changes that we have been preaching since 2018 are culminating into this great “work-from-home” event called COVID-19. The slow pace of migrating your environment to the cloud and educating on security separating business functions in technology, have been thrust into the spotlight of the current pandemic environment.

If your business has not been following the technology path as quickly as you would have liked and you are stuck with the pain of servers in an office, an office you might not need anymore, then now is the time to consider the move to the cloud. This guidance in 2018 is still a path that is viable today.

Imagine having a workplace that doesn’t need an office space, whose entire set of business applications are accessible from anywhere at any time. Imagine allowing your employees to take home their cloud-based physical phones or use their mobile devices securely as their work phones. Imagine that you have well-trained and cyber security educated staff who are

BY JEFF MEAD Looking forward to 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic still having a major effect on the world and our industry is not an easy task.

We lost almost 10 months of operations in 2020 due to the pandemic. We had what we considered our strongest arena line-up booked since we took over the operations of the arena in 2015. The closure of the arena by state mandate and the sudden end of the ECHL season is still being felt.

The 2021 State Boys Basketball Championships have been cancelled for a second straight year.

Most of our staff has been furloughed.

Unfortunately, we are like so many other businesses in our region and across the country, We made the decision in November to opt out of the 2020-21 ECHL season due to the pandemic.

The business model of the ECHL simply doesn’t afford teams to play without ticket sales revenues.

Downtown and local businesses have been negatively affected by not having our 225,000 guests come to the arena in the past 10 months. We know the economic impact we have on restaurants, bars, hotels, and retail when the arena is full.

We must keep looking forward. Realistically, we are looking to June or July as to when we will be able to resume normal operations.

Thunder hockey will be back for the 2021-22 season.

We have started to plan for it. Season tickets are currently on sale. We made the decision to keep ticket prices flat for the season. We have only raised ticket prices once in four years, by 50 cents per game. We pride ourselves on offering a family friendly experience at the arena.

The arena has had the ice in place since November for use by the Adirondack Youth Hockey organization. We are using the ice seven days a week, which keeps the arena busy during these down times.

We will keep the ice in through February.

The Farmers Market has moved to the arena for the winter. Every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to

Noble Gas Solutions Continued From Page 1

Falls market for us to enter. It eliminated an independent in that market, and we’re really excited about being part of that market.”

After a search of nearby properties, Noble Gas settled on the Third Street property. It is owned

by Elizabeth Miller, owner of Miller Mechanical and Doty Machine Works.

“It’s right off of Route 9 and we thought it was a great spot,” said Mahoney. “We are in the

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

Courtesy StoredTech

safely protecting you and your company from wherever they are working from.

Imagine that you have a cyber security firm that is watching your IT and working together with your technology provider. You don’t need to imagine any of that; this is the world so many are already living in. Technology has been there, and it’s been a topic-for-discussion in this very paper since 2018. In today’s world a rapid upheaval increased the pace in which all of this happened for most of us.

In 2021 the culmination, either forced through business necessity or planned and implemented for years, is here.

Businesses deserve to reap the benefits from the WFH (Work-from-Home) model, and you should be protecting yourself and your business from cyber security threats. The technology and know-how are there, and many great firms can provide you the guidance you need in these times of turmoil. 2021 is when it all comes together.

Your business technology is a puzzle. Make sure all your pieces fit so that you can come out of this period stronger than ever.

Jeffrey Mead is general manager of Cool Insuring Arena..

Courtesy Cool Insuring Arena

noon, you can visit and select from numerous local farmers and their produce.

We look forward to a return to normalcy. We look forward to the 30th year of the Adirondack Stampede Rodeo and the return of the 2021 Girls Volleyball state finals in November. We have numerous other arena events booked in anticipation of being able to re-open in the near future.

We need to thank our community partners for their continued support of the arena and hockey team.

We need to thank our partners at Warren County and the City of Glens Falls for their continued investment into our arena. I need to thank my board of directors for their unwavering support during these times.

We look forward to seeing our guests, staff, partners, and community at the arena in the near future. Opening night for the Thunder is only 10 months away. Looking forward to seeing 5,000 fans welcome the team back. process of renovating the building. It’s going to be really nice when we are done. We have the whole 6,000-square-foot building. We will have a store which will be about 1,700 square feet with offices, a break room and a bathroom, and a 3,000-square-foot warehouse.”

The store will be staffed by three employees who were previous employees of Taylor Welding Supply and two people from the company’s existing sales reps staff.

The company will have a total of 40 employees at its three locations and expects to open locally

by February.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 11

BY GINA MINTZER The Lake George regional business community has endured the pandemic through tremendous collaboration, innovation and responsible outreach to neighbors, colleagues, clients, visitors, and the communities served throughout the region. Leveraging business, community, industry, and research partnerships has been key to the success of all our efforts.

The pivot came quickly for the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce as we rapidly abandoned traditional outwardfacing sales and marketing efforts in those first few days. Lightning fast, we turned inward, racing to aid our local business community, turning our considerable expertise in marketing to communicating real-time information to those we serve.

By virtue of our skill in social media and close relationships with elected officials, industry and community partners, clients, and colleagues, we were able to help each survive based on needs, from development of safety best practices to navigating state and federal relief funds, to event postponement and cancellation. Throughout the pandemic and moving forward, safe, and responsible visitation, adhering to county, state and national recommendations has been and will continue to be, the overarching message and mission internally and externally.

So, in this tumultuous era when priorities are being re-examined, the Chamber has restructured to face the future and realize the full potential of community development. Efforts will continue to partner with every organization that is dedicated to building our sustainable, competitively successful destination as we all have a role in envisioning the future with COVID-19 impacts.

We will continue to play our part in the transformative process to positively affect our economic vitality. Our communities, neighborhoods and residents deserve no less.

Leveraging relationships and understanding the industry research and customer sentiments are the key ingredients that the Chamber is infusing in all activities to ensure current and future visitor and membership outreach, client bookings and regional visitation.

The outlook for 2021 is cautiously positive as we are now reliant on our neighbors to be more responsible than ever, adhering to CDC and state Health Department guidelines, restrictions and recommendations for overall health and well-being.

We foresee a first quarter slower than 2020, due mainly to the fact that the

Grants, Donations Help Fund $1.8 Million Transformation Of Park In Hudson Falls

Gina Mintzer, executive director, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

shutdown occurred in mid-March, and our region had been enjoying a healthy winter season (despite warm weather temps).

We foresee a second quarter, along with tremendous coronavirus vaccinations opening our economy, while we focus on converting our new customers to the area into repeat visitors.

Overall, workforce development efforts will also be a key ingredient for our future economic sustainability and growth.

Fortunately, our current public-private collaborative efforts are addressing this as a priority and just knowing that it is being discussed by smart, committed people, we are hopeful that our efforts will have positive lasting effects on our entire business climate.

Like many businesses, we continue operating as fiscally austere as possible. As a 501c6, we were not able to participate in the PPP program. That aspect is now available with this most recent stimulus program.

We furloughed some staff early in the pandemic and brought them back prudently.

We continue to have some staff work remotely and restructured our overall marketing and operations as part of a nimble pivot, relying on industry trends, local research, and fiscal responsibility while adhering to local, state, and national safety protocols and recommendations.

All safety plans are still in place from daily health monitoring and office wipe-downs to guest contact tracing and documentation.

We foresee these routines will continue and be as common as taking off your shoes to go through security at the airport. The organization currently employs 12 full and part-time seasonal staff.

The Chazen Companies Based In Queensbury Is Purchased By Rochester Consulting Group LaBella Associates of Rochester has purchased The Chazen Companies, a multidisciplinary consulting firm that has an office in Glens Falls.

Its headquarters is in Poughkeepsie. The acquisition takes effect Jan. 1, according to LaBella Associates.

The deal furthers LaBella’s growing presence in the Capital Region and extends its reach north to Glens Falls and the Adirondack region, and south to the Hudson Valley and New York City metro regions.

Additionally, Chazen’s established offices in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tenn., will complement LaBella’s teams in the Southeast, officials said.

Officials said existing clientele of both Chazen and LaBella will benefit from enhanced serviceability and an expanded depth of resources. All of Chazen’s current employees—across offices in Poughkeepsie, Glens Falls, Troy, White Plains, Nashville, Chattanooga and Portland—are expected to remain with the company, which will operate as Chazen, a LaBella company, through 2021.

A Portland, Ore., office will mark LaBella’s first West Coast presence.

Founded more than 70 years ago, The Chazen Companies provide civil engineering, land surveying, planning, environmental consulting, building code & life safety services, landscape architecture, construction services, geology, transportation planning and traffic engineering to clients in the private and

public sectors.

Chazen serves municipalities, state agencies, developers, landowners, utility companies, as well as industrial, healthcare, education and nonprofit clients from project concept to completion.

“LaBella’s commitment to client service, excellent technical ability, and award-winning culture are renowned throughout our industry,” said Richard “Rick” Loewenstein, P.E, CEO, The Chazen Companies. “In addition, LaBella’s leadership team prioritizes the core values that have guided Chazen, including community, collaboration and growth. We know that our employees and clients alike will benefit from being a part of the LaBella organization.”

“My mother and father founded Chazen in 1947, and I’ve been involved with the firm for nearly all my life,” Senior Principal Richard Chazen said. “We have strived to develop a firm culture that treats all of our employees as members of the Chazen family, and that’s the same culture that exists at LaBella.”

“Like LaBella, Chazen has been successful because of long-term client partnerships, fostered by employee-owners,” said Jeff Roloson, AIA, president, LaBella Associates.

“An expanded footprint, new services in landscape architecture, land development, and municipal code support, and additional expertise in our existing offering are just a few of the reasons why we are excited to welcome Chazen.”

The old Derby Park in Hudson Falls is being re-done and expanded. The rendering above shows how the park, renamed Moran Derby Park, will look when it opens later this year.

The old basketball nets have come down at Derby Park — the first sign of the once immensely-popular park’s $1.8 million transformation into a newly revitalized community athletic complex and festival space.

When the next ball swishes through the net, it will be part of the grand opening ceremony for the new Moran Derby Park, renamed in recognition of the $500,000 donation from longtime local businessmen and philanthropists, brothers Brien and Mike Moran, which kicked off project fundraising in June 2019.

All that’s needed now is to raise the final $400,000 — a task the Derby Park Revitalization Committee is tackling in earnest this holiday season with a goal of opening the new facility in the fall of 2021.

“This park will belong to the families of our community,” said Mike Moran, “and Brien and I are sure we’re going to see a lot of old friends step up to help — people with lifelong ties to Derby, as well as many of our customers from over the years. We are looking forward to seeing their names join ours in being a part of this project.”

“After 18 months of largely quiet, but highly successful fundraising, we’re ready to ask families and businesses from across Washington, Warren and northern Saratoga counties to help us score the winning goal, hit a home run, nail the buzzer-beater and every other sports analogy you can think of to get us over the finish line,” said Hudson Falls Mayor John Barton. “Moran Derby Park will be a true regional community asset and we’re hoping people will think of us in their holiday season and end-of-year giving.”

The new Moran Derby Park will feature a new basketball court, a regulation-size soccer field; a softball field; three pickleball courts; a quartermile walking path; two new event spaces for arts-and-crafts shows and other community festivals; all-new lighting; more attractive landscaping and fencing; and a new parking lot.

For generations of families from Hudson Falls and across Washington, Warren and Saratoga counties, Derby Park was a recreational and social destination — home to high school boys and girls basketball leagues, adult softball leagues, semi-pro Greenjackets football games, winter ice skating and summer recreation programs.

Traditions ran deep, friendships were forged,

Courtesy Courtesy Chazen Companies

memories still abound.

The same can be said of the Moran family’s legacy in the community. Brien and Mike Moran first became part of the Hudson Falls business community in the late 1950s and early 1960s, working with their parents, Henry G. and Gladys Moran, in operating the family business, H.G. Moran Sporting Goods. The brothers took over ownership of the store in 1970 and grew it into Moran’s World of Sporting Goods, the largest sporting goods superstore in the Capital Region, by the early 1980s, while also launching a number of other businesses.

The Derby revitalization project was unveiled in June 2019 with the announcement of the Morans’ gift.

The village has since secured a $600,000 grant from the state Office of Park, Recreation & Historic Preservation, and the Derby Park Revitalization Committee has raised approximately $300,000 in generous donations from the Sandy Hill Foundation, Wheelabrator, Boralex and community residents.

The project was initially expected to cost $1.4 million, but delays related to COVID-19 and increases in estimates for construction materials have driven the total price tag to approximately $1.8 million.

Tax-deductible donations of all sizes are welcome. Gifts of $1,000 or more can be spread over three years, and will be recognized on a Wall of Distinction at the entrance to the new Park. For those looking for a unique gift for the holidays or other special occasion, commemorative engraved bricks can be purchased for $125 and will be placed along a new walkway running from Coleman Avenue to William Street at the park.

Pledge forms are available at www. villageofhudsonfalls.com or by calling Village Clerk Ellen Brayman at (518) 747-5426, ext. 205.

Donations can also be mailed directly to Derby Park Fund, Glens Falls National Bank, ATTN: Erin McLaughlin, 3019 State Rt. 4, Hudson Falls, NY 12839.

The Derby Park Revitalization Committee is made up of Dan Van Wie, Joe Melucci, Em Lewis, Mike Moran, Tom Van Arnem, Erin McLaughlin, Kingsbury Town Supervisor Dana Hogan, Mayor John Barton, Village Trustee Bob Cook, Village Trustee Mike Horrigan, and Village Attorney Bill Nikas.

12 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

SPECIAL SECTION

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Health & Fitness

With The Sudden Arise Of Pandemic, Use Of Telemedicine Equipment Sees Huge Rise •

Glens Falls Hospital primary care physician Dr. Matt Pender communicates with a patient who is off site. Use of telemedicine was a future trend, which skyrocketed because of the pandemic.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual.

At Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

As a result, administrators had to scramble to get a system in place.

“This was all new to all of us,” said Patti Hammond, vice president for physician practice management. “One of the reasons was that the insurance companies including Medicare were not paying for virtual visits as though it was an in-person visit.

Because of COVID, there were some emergency approvals, and the insurance companies said they would pay for that visit just as though the patient was in your office setting.”

In a matter of 48 hours, Glens Falls Hospital had a telemedicine system up and running. The hospital uses the Doxy.me platform and pays a monthly fee for each provider who uses the tool.

“Because we are a health care organization, we had to have a system that was HIPPA compliant. You can’t just do a Zoom call,” said Hammond.

Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, a group of more than 250 providers practicing out of 20-plus locations, implemented a telemedicine platform in the spring of 2019.

“We had the capability, but found we weren’t using it,” said Julie Demaree, Saratoga Hospital direc-

Courtesy Glens Falls Hospital

tor of informatics and data integrity. “We didn’t have much interest from our providers and patients.”

In mid-March, all providers in the group were trained on how to use the platform. In the two weeks that followed, 3,500 virtual visits were conducted.

“It was a learning curve for both patients and providers,” said Demaree. “I really give so much credit to our providers because they had to pivot very quickly. Delivering medicine through a camera is very different than doing it in person. They also had to take on a new role of being tech support for patients.”

Each virtual visit begins with a phone call, during which time patients are registered and screened by a nurse. Patients are then sent a link via text or email that takes them into a virtual waiting room. After meeting with doctors, follow up appointments are scheduled as necessary.

“You want to mirror the in-office workflow as best you can because that is what the providers and patients have become accustomed to,” said Ann Marie Hatch, senior director of physician practice at Glens Falls Hospital.

At Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, each provider has customized their telehealth procedures.

Some incorporate the use of phone calls while others rely on video only. Like Glens Falls Hospital, phone appointments are conducted for patients without access to video.

“One of the challenges we have up here in the North Country is connectivity,” said Hammond, referring to access to broadband service which is

Business Report

•

Develop A Mindset For Health Wellness Success

BY MARIA SAVINO Tis’ the season for health and wellness resolutions. While there is no shortage of diet plans and exercise regimes to follow in a New Year, I believe the most important aspect to achieve any health goal is the mindset you have going into it.

Many wellness resolutions are created from a place of lack and restriction.

For example: “I am going to cut out processed foods,” “I’m going to give up soda” or “I am going to stop sitting all day.”

Although these goals have positive intentions, the mindset behind them is not setting anyone up for success.

As a health coach, I instruct clients to set wellness goals from the mindset of positivity and addition, rather than restriction and subtraction.

This mindset shift is a key component of their long term success for two reasons.

The first reason pertains to how we are naturally wired. As human beings, it never feels good when things are taken away or restricted, especially if those things have given you a sense of comfort or happiness in the past. For example, overeating can be a form of comfort, binge watching hours of television can provide stress relief, or grabbing that afternoon chocolate bar can promote a sense of joy during an otherwise dull or stressful day.

Understanding that your not-so-healthy habits do in fact have positive intentions, and that restriction doesn’t come naturally, makes it clear that goals like those above are not the most effective.

Secondly, setting goals from a place of positivity and addition allows my clients to feel inspired rather than punished by their goals. During this time of year we are bombarded with messages about how to “fix” ourselves, or “pay penance” for our health and wellness sins from the previous year.

These types of messages may be an excellent marketing tool, but the truth is that improving your health is an opportunity, not a punishment!

Starting a health and wellness journey should feel

fun and inspiring, not dreaded and terrible.

If your new year’s resolution sounds like the examples above, I want to challenge you to shift your mindset. Ask yourself, “What positive things can I add to my life that will help me reach my goals?” as opposed to “what do I need to take away in order to fix myself?”

If we re-think the examples above using this positive mindset, they turn into goals that are much more fun and attainable.

For example: “I am going to cut out junk food” becomes “I will start eating more whole foods.”

“I’m going to give up soda” becomes “I am going to drink 2 full bottles of water every day.”

“I am going stop sitting all day” becomes “I will add more activity into my day by going for an afternoon walk.”

At the end of the day, improving your health is all about improving your life and your overall happiness. Restriction, deprivation and punishment don’t make us happy—or get us the results we want—but inspiration, self love, and positive additions to our lives absolutely do.

difficult in some rural areas.

At Glens Falls Hospital, 50 percent of patient visits were conducted virtually during the peak of COVID. When cases began to rise in December, the hospital’s primary care practices returned to conducting the majority of patient visits virtually.

“The primary goal of our practices is protect our most vulnerable patients and to keep our staff from becoming exposed” said Hatch. “We hold that value, and that’s how we make our decisions.”

Saratoga Hospital Medical Group’s telemedicine

visits peaked in April at which time 65 percent of patient visits were virtual. That number has dropped to 15 percent but is climbing due to the second wave of COVID, officials said. In June, the medical group began using telemedicine in their urgent cares. It has been especially useful for patients who need COVID testing.

“We had hundreds of people coming every day and waiting in line at our urgent care centers just to ask for a COVID test. They are able to do a teleContinued On Page 14

Maria Savino of Simple Steps Health Coaching.

Courtesy Maria Savino

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 13

Air Pro Solutions Sells, Installs, Services Air Vaccine Distribution In North County Filters To Businesses Throughout The Region Began With Focus On Health Care Workers

Patrick Schmidt is vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems. They have clients in Saratoga, Glens Falls and beyond.

BY JILL NAGY “We’re breathing in a lot of stuff in the air that we cannot see,” said Patrick Schmidt, vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems.

When he and other member of his sales staff visit a potential customer, they bring along an air quality meter that can measure that “stuff in the air” and then show it disappearing as one of the company’s Air Box filters goes to work.

Air Pro, located at 229 Washington St. in Saratoga Springs, services an area including Saratoga and Albany counties, the Glens Falls area and the North Country.

They are independent dealers for Air Box units manufactured in the Carolinas.

Currently, the company employs three sales people and two service people.

When businesses and other institutions prepare to reopen, they usually begin by stocking masks, plastic shields, hand sanitizers, antiseptic wipes and similar equipment.

“The air piece of it,” he said, “is the last one usually” and arguably the most important.

Air Pro sells portable, stand-alone units about the size of a dehumidifier. There is also a model in a cabinet that fits into the wall.

They filter in three stages: an activated carbon filter removes odors; an antimicrobial filter removes the larger

©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

particles; the final filter, a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, can remove particles as small as viruses, including COVID viruses.

The first two filters have to be replaced every six months. The HEPA filter is good for three years.

He said the units are available in two sizes with a third, larger, one on the way.

The smaller unit, powerful enough for a classroom, sells for about $2,500. The larger one, enough for a gymnasium or auditorium, runs about $4,500. Air Pro also rents the units on six-month leases and can provide financing.

The manufacturer began by manufacturing air filtration systems for clean rooms, including some at GlobalFoundries and Regeneron. More recently, they branched out into a line of smaller external systems.

Schmidt got involved in the business about nine months ago, after an earlier career in the health care field, he said.

Air Pro Solutions has been busy.

Customers include restaurants, schools, and medical facilities. Schmidt is confident that, once they get used to clean air, people will continue to invest in it.

“I don’t see that going away,” he said, noting that many Asian countries “have been doing it for a long time—because their air is so bad.”

Schmidt’s phone number is 518-2810994. The business can also be reached at 1-888-556-0230.

Monahan Is ARCC Chair Continued From Page 1

in 2009 and based in Warrensburg. Ash owns and operates Lotus Analytics, Lotus Property Management, The Grist Mill, Ashes Pub & Ocho Cinco Cantina, Lotus Auto Xperts, and two NAPA stores (Warrensburg Auto & Truck Supplies and Chestertown Truck & Auto).

John Aspland, managing partner at the law firm of FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth.

Andrea Deepe, chief executive officer for Warren Washington Association for Mental Health, Inc., a nonprofit provider of human services that provides an array of services, including residential, clinical, support services, care management, and dual recovery services, to individuals living with mental health diagnoses and challenges residing in Warren and Washington counties.

Jeff Mead, general manager of the Cool Insuring Arena and president, business

operations for the Adirondack Thunder ECHL hockey team.

Officer elected to serve with Monahan this year are Rebecca Wood, president of Six Flags Great Escape Theme Park, vice chair; William Batkay, vice president of Miller Mechanical Services Inc., vice chair; Juan Gonzales, chief financial officer of Hunt Companies Inc., vice chair; Marc Yrsha, director of relationship banking, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co., vice chair; Sarah Lindsell, owner of SBLindsell LLC, treasurer; and Crystal Grimaldi, owner of Ideal Dairy Farm, secretary.

Other board members this year are John Aspland Jr., Damian D’Angelico, Andrea Deepe, Patti Hammond, Jared Humiston, John Jablonski, Zachary Moore, Jennifer Rozell Whalen, Eric Ryan, Robert Sears, Tim Seeley Jr., and Pat Suprenant.

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Stephanie Kelly, a lab lead, microbiology, staffer at Glens Falls Hospital gets the COVID-19 vaccine.

New York state began with vaccines for frontline workers and will work its way to others.

Glens Falls Hospital received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas and began vaccinating employees based on the CDC and state Department of Health guidelines.

The first person to receive the vaccine at the hospital was Stephanie Kelly, lab lead, microbiology.

“It was great, I did not feel a thing, less than what I feel with the flu shot usually,” she said. “I would recommend everyone getting this vaccination. It is important. We are so lucky and I am happy to have it.”

Some of the doses received were earmarked for EMS and other first responders. The hospital worked directly with these first responder teams to get members vaccinated.

On Jan. 12, hospital officials said “We are aware that New York state has announced that those in group/phase 1b (age 65 and up) are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time we have not received additional doses to be distributed, nor have the counties.

“Our partners in the county Public Health Departments should be receiving instructions soon. They have asked that you monitor the county websites, social media, radio and television. You can also monitor the Warren County COVID-19 Vaccine information line at 518-761-6200, and the NY State COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at (833) 6974829” The Moderna vaccine, which officials say has been shown to be nearly 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 and 100 percent effective at

©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

preventing serious illness, was the second vaccine made available to Glens Falls Hospital employees.

Also in late December, employees received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady.

According to Hillary Alycon, MPH, CIC director of infection prevention and control,“people need to be very confident in the safety and effectiveness of these two vaccines. There is no live virus present in the vaccine, only what is known as the messenger or mRNA spike protein, so it is impossible for the vaccine to cause COVID-19. When we take the vaccine, we begin to develop antibodies that recognize these spike proteins which are on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This builds up our immunity and will help keep us safe from the disease.”

In December, nearly everyone at Hudson Headwaters Health Network was vaccinated against COVID-19. It’s a relief to employees, but nurse Krystal Washburn said her relief had nothing to do with personal safety.

“I’m just so excited to be not exposing my patients any more,” she said.

Also, vials of the Moderna vaccine were shipped directly to each Hudson Headwaters health clinic.

Once a vial is opened, it must be completely used within six hours. People came in on vacation to get their shots. Some traveled to other locations to make sure the right number of people were waiting before a vial was opened.

Information provided by Glens Falls Hospital as recent as Jan. 11.

14 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

REGIONAL STOCKWATCH Stock Name

Closing Price 12/11/2020

Closing Price 12/18/2020

Closing Price 12/24/2020

Closing Price 12/31/2020

Albany Int’l

71.39 73.80 73.09 73.13 76.19

Arrow

30.96 31.09 30.23 29.91 30.95

AT & T

31.01

Ball

92.58 92.19 92.34 93.18 90.63

Ballston Spa National Bank

43.50 43.50 44.00 45.00 47.00

Bank of America

28.57

Best Buy

100.05 101.95 102.55 99.79 107.57

Citizens Bank

35.37 34.21 35.12 35.76 39.57

Espey

21.00 20.49 19.68 19.01 19.82

General Electric

11.16

Hilton

104.74 104.61 106.89 111.26 114.19

Home Depot

264.55 270.45 270.92 265.62 269.08

Int’l Paper

48.63 49.98 49.76 49.72 51.49

Key Corp

15.84 15.42 16.19 16.41 18.23

Lowe’s

157.82 163.20 162.77 160.51 165.01

Martin Marietta

267.20 276.35 275.05 283.97 310.48

M&T Bank

125.84

McDonald’s

207.76 215.08 211.39 214.58 215.85

National Grid

57.84 58.21 57.89 59.03 59.77

NBT Bancorp Inc.

32.06

Plug Power

26.77 31.62 35.58 33.91 53.78

29.40

28.67

10.81

123.73

32.25

28.19

29.96

10.65

124.96

31.87

28.76

30.31

10.80

127.30

32.10

29.02

32.53

11.35

144.16

31.19

Quad Graphics 3.43 3.80 3.52 3.82 4.09 Starbucks

103.00 103.28 102.01 106.98 105.67

Sysco

75.88 72.28 71.99 74.26 77.59

Target

171.71 170.42 175.19 176.53 193.54

The TorontoDominion Bank 55.74 55.53 55.49 55.82 58.33 Kaspien Holdings 14.42 14.20 13.75 14.63 20.48 Trustco Bank

6.34 6.62 6.60 6.67 7.03

Verizon

60.35 60.46 58.22 58.75 57.81

Walmart

147.00 145.95 143.50 144.15 146.66 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

Telemedicine

Continued From Page 12 medicine visit and we can send an order for them to go be tested. We’re able to see a lot of patients through telehealth. It’s really good for our patients and it helps us see the people who are sicker and really need to be in the office,” said Demaree.

She said the utilization of telemedicine also minimizes risk to health care providers and allows a provider who is in quarantine to see patients. Additionally, it leads to a decrease in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) which remains in short supply.

“Telehealth creates some barrier,” said Demaree. “It requires understanding of technology, access to a device, a need for connectivity at home.

But we found that it also removed some barriers that exist when you are accessing traditional health care. Things like transportation, child care, getting out of work, having the motivation to drive somewhere. We found that we actually had decreased no shows rates and increased

Personnel Briefs

Closing Price 01/08/2021

compliance in some of our departments which was really fascinating.”

Telemedicine is expected to remain popular even after the pandemic is over. In order for this to happen, insurance company reimbursement must continue.

“Effective the first of the year, Medicare is going to make that a permanent change. And I think the other insurance companies will follow,” said Hammond. “I think there’s going to be a niche for telehealth in the future.”

Despite the success of telemedicine, it is not appropriate for all patients. In both Glens Falls and Saratoga, providers stress that it is safe to come into the hospital or doctor’s office. Medical staff members are screened for symptoms each day, and strict disinfecting and social distancing procedures are in place.

“The most important thing to me is that people continue to get the health care that they need,” said Demaree. “I worry mostly about people delaying care when they need it. I don’t want to see delays in diagnoses or people dying at home from things we could have treated because they are afraid to go to the doctor.”

Continued From Page 2

Yrsha joined the company in 2015 and most recently served as senior vice president of corporate development, which includes business development, small business and home equity lending, municipal banking, and business services.

* * * The Adirondack Nonprofit Business Council (ANBC), of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has welcomed on three new members.

The ANBC provides a forum to foster peerto-peer interaction, a symposium to promote awareness, and other programs that strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations.

New members are Andrea Deepe, chief executive officer, Warren Washington Association for Mental Health; Bill Moon, executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks; and Lynn Sickles, executive director, Southern Adirondack Child Care Network.

* * * Lloyd Brown was appointed as director of sales and client relations at Lotus Analytics in Warrensburg.

Also, Kate Belden was promoted to the position of director, hospitality and communications, following her accomplishments as general manager for the hospitality division of the lotus group.

Brown will work toward growth of the specialized verticals and industries. He has more than 30 years of experience in relationship management, sales, and business development to this role where he will lead client retention initiatives and drive new client acquisitions.

He will also provide strategic insights to support growth in several international markets for the planned expansion of Lotus’s innovative products and purposive services. Brown will focus heavily on new business development and supporting the extensive client base.

After finishing his undergraduate studies at Boston University with a degree in marketing, Brown began his sales career in the New York City market 30 years ago with Cellular One. He relocated to the west coast to accept a position as a dealer manager with AT&T Wireless.

He was promoted and accepted a position in Denver, where he simultaneously managed business to business sales teams, indirect management teams and indirect distribution partners.

In 2003, Brown moved back to the east coast where he accepted a new role with Sprint as an indirect sales manager and was again promoted to national account manager. His most recent position was with Metro by T-Mobile where he was part of a team that launched the Upstate New York market.

Belden started her tenure with Lotus in 2015 as the general manager of the Grist Mill, the first acquisition to jumpstart the hospitality division.

When Lotus added Ashes Pub in in 2016, she took that project on as well. In 2018 Lotus re-imagined Ashes Pub and added Ocho Cinco Cantina. Belden and her team focused on creative menus, strategic advertising, and consistent customer service.

* * * Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP announced that Donald T. Kinsella has joined the firm as senior counsel and Robert J. McLaughlin has joined as of counsel.

Kinsella joins Whiteman Osterman & Hanna with more than four decades of experience in complex criminal and civil litigation. He prosecuted and defended several significant high profile federal and state criminal cases in New York. He is a former chief of the Criminal Division of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York.

McLaughlin will continue to focus his practice on gaming and lottery law, financial transactions and government compliance.

McLaughlin counsels gaming vendors, online gaming providers, state lotteries, and other entities in matters involving compliance with the complex federal and state regulation governing the gaming industry.

As bond counsel, he has represented the state Dormitory Authority, the state Environmental Facilities Corp., where he was the former general counsel, and the state Energy Resource and Development Authority/New York Green Bank. He has also represented numerous industrial development agencies and municipalities in the state.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021 • 15

Washington County New Business Registrations

Available Commercial & Residential Properties

•

We’d like to promote your commercial or residential property. Call us, 581-0600.

SARATOGA SPRINGS

DECEMBER Homestead Farm 90 S Union St. Cambridge, NY 12816

Allprintz 371 County Route 21 Granville, NY 12832

Erica Woodward Photography 30 Deerfield Lane Fort Ann, NY 12827

City Man Press 391 Herrington Hill Rd. Greenwich, NY 12834

Anchor and Anvil Metalworks 175 Hadlock Pond Rd. Fort Ann, NY 12827

Mother Earth Pest Solutions 162 Main St Hudson Falls, NY 12839

Veteran Don Michaelsen Cancer Fund 12 Broadview Terrace Granville, NY 12832

Shamrock Studios 1548 Farley Rd. Hudson Falls, NY 12839

Woodys Snacks 7381 State Route 22 Granville, NY 12832

Bill Sullivans Diner 25 Main St. Hudson Falls, NY 12839

•

NEWLY RENOVATED IN A PRIME LOCATION Suite A

Suite B

Suite C

1200 +/- Sq.Ft. $3000/mo

500+/- Sq.Ft. $1250/mo

1700+/-Sq.Ft. $3500/mo

Conference room, private office plus large open area for several work stations.

Windows on Broadway

Private office plus large reception area.

Large open floorplan with storage area.

Windows on Broadway

Bathrooms and Kitchen/Break area shared on floor. Furniture and desks available. Short and Long term leases. Heat and Electric included.

12ʼ ceilings and hardwood floors.

Contact:

Anyone in Business knows

Mark Straus 518-857-2238 Patrick Donovan 518-698-0564 Alex Straus 518-319-2300

“WORD of MOUTH” has always been the best form of advertising

Business Meetings Lunch or Dinner

COME TASTE WHY. PRIVATE MEETING ROOMS AVAILABLE

• Salad “Smorgas” Bar • Prime Ribs • “Fish Market Fresh” Seafood • Char-Broiled Steaks • Live Lobster Tank • Innovative Food • Attentive Service

Rtes. 9 & 149, Lake George, NY • 798-1155

N

EW

LI

ST

IN

G

www.logjamrestaurant.com

2271 New York State Route 50 $369,900 Charming, historic, farmhouse within the city limits of Saratoga Springs. This 4 bedroom, 2 bath home has history that dates back to the 1800’s. Some original features include, hand hewn beams, original wainscot, wide plank floors, a nice front porch and screened-in porch. Situated on 5.54 acres with walking trails & barn/workshop space and a shed. W/approvals build a new home in the woods and walk to your office! Many uses and possibilities for a home and business. Zoned OMB-1. Soon to be part of the anticipated new zoning of Gateway Commercial Residential. 1 mile south of Saratoga Spa State Park, SPAC, golf, hiking & biking trails. Just a few minutes to everything downtown Saratoga Springs has to offer. Veteran exemption

Listing Agent: Palma Pedrick | 518.669.5199 Anny O’Neill | 518.369.4188

16 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • JANUARY 2021

M&M DIGITAL PRINTING A Division of Seeley Office Systems

M&M Digital Printing & Seeley Office Systems want to Thank our customers for their continued support through such a trying 2020, and wish everyone a prosperous 2021!

Thank you for your support