Glens Falls Business Journal - February 2022

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VOL. 33 NO. 12

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FEBRUARY 2022

Gore Mountain, With Facility Improvements ‘Ice Castles’ Attraction In Lake George Proves And Key Races, Is Poised For More Growth To Be A Tremendous Draw In First Year

Through Jan. 31, the state-owned Gore Mountain ski center had welcomed 101,000 visitors this year, with more than two full months to go.

BY PAUL POST Athletes from across the country are converging on Gore Mountain this month, setting the stage for one of the world’s largest sports spectacles a year from now.

The Holeshot Cross Tour (held Feb. 5-11) and USASA Futures Tour ( held Feb. 11-18) give the nation’s top junior freestyle skiers and snowboarders a chance to earn points in their quest to race professionally.

“These are two types of events, ski cross and slope style, we’ll be hosting for next year’s World University Games as well as big air,” said Stephanie Backes, Gore Mountain marketing director.

“It’s putting Gore on the map for this caliber of competition and exposing us to people from around the country who have never been here before. It definitely helps lodging and restaurant business.”

Paul Post

World University Games are surpassed in size only by the Olympics, with about 1,600 athletes from 50 nations expected for next year’s competition based in Lake Placid. But Gore will host all freestyle skiing and boarding events, further enhancing its already prominent role as an economic engine in Warren County’s winter tourism industry.

Gore hosted 217,000 guests last winter, up significantly from the 189,000 who visited in 2019/20. Backes attributed this to the COVID-19 pandemic that sparked a major rise in all types of outdoor activity as many other forms of entertainment weren’t available.

In addition, the pandemic gave people working from home more opportunities to take time off.

Last year, Gore saw a huge rise in midweek, nonholiday period visits, which have leveled off a bit Continued On Page 6

Sustainable PR Reports That Business Tripled During Its First Year Of Operation Sustainable PR, a public relations agency supporting the growth of green businesses, has tripled in its first year of operations.

Fueling the PR firm’s growth is the demand for media relations services among innovative green companies, its founder said..

“Whether it’s COP26 or the Biden PlSustainable PRan on combatting climate change, we are benefiting from significant tailwinds in the sustainability market,” said Tony DeFazio, a 30year PR veteran and founder and principal of Sustainable PR. “Our services, strong team, and strategic location will continue to serve us well as sustainable innovations shape the green economy.”

The public relations agency provides media relations services including key message development, press relations, media training, and influencer engagement to clients. Since launching a year ago, the company has signed multiple clients in green technology, renewable energy, impact investing, sustainable water, and green agriculture.

The firm has been leading communications for Glens Falls Urban Agriculture Pilot, a hydroponic project to convert unused or under utilized industrial buildings into productive year round urban farms.

The company recently opened an office at 46 Elm St. in downtown Glens Falls, a block off South Street, where a $10 million economic development

initiative to revitalize the corridor is expected to get underway in 2022.

“Glens Falls has everything businesses need,” commented DeFazio. “Restaurants, banks and business services are within walking distance. Investment is pouring into the area as entrepreneurs recognize its intrinsic value. It’s just an ideal location at the gateway to the Adirondack Park, 45 minutes from Albany and 30 minutes from Saratoga Springs.”

Sustainable PR is helping clients reach national and international customers.

“I am thrilled, but not surprised, by the concrete results my company has seen since working with Sustainable PR. I was confident from our first meeting that Tony’s passion would translate into success for our business,” said Cipriani Energy Group’s COO Chris Stroud.

Evanesce, a sustainable packaging technology company in British Columbia is using Sustainable PR’s services to expand their growth into the United States. The agency is leading an integrated public and investor relations campaign to raise the company’s profile in the food services industry, where its patented molded starch technology is disrupting the sector.

For more information about Sustainable PR, visit www.sustainablepr.com or call 518-2239962.

Ice Castles—a 1.5-acre sculpture with frozen 25-foot-high archways, tunnels and slides—is expected bring more than $4 million for lodging, meals, fuel and more to the local economy.

BY PAUL POST Only a week after opening, more than 75,000 tickets had already been sold to a major new winter attraction that officials hope can contribute to transforming Lake George into true year-round tourist destination.

Visitors to Ice Castles—a 1.5-acre man-made sculpture with frozen 25-foot-high archways, tunnels and slides—are expected to spend more than $4 million for lodging, meals, fuel and similar services.

Located at Charles R. Wood Park’s Festival

Courtesy Warren County Tourism

Commons, 17 West Brook Road, it coincides with this year’s 60th annual Lake George Winter Carnival, featuring a slate of fun activities each weekend in February.

“This is big, really big,” said long-time Mayor Robert Blais, who has worked to promote winter tourism for many years. “All the businesses that have been open all these years, that have struggled through the winter and supported the Winter Carnival, I say thanks to them. Now you’re going to be rewarded. To the ones that Continued On Page 20

Carl T. Baker Is The Recipient Of This Year’s Walter Juckett Community Service Award The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce announced that the 33rd Annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award will be presented to Carl T. Baker, Esq., founding shareholder of FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth PC. Baker will be presented with the award at the ARCC annual dinner on April 1 at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing.

“Carl exemplifies all that defines the J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award. He has given much of himself to our region as a volunteer in so many ways. Carl has done so much for others, yet he is so humble never expecting anything in return except the satisfaction of helping those around him.

Congratulations Carl on a well-deserved award given to you by your peers in the business community,” said ARCC President and CEO Michael Bittel.

Baker’s contributions to our community include service on multiple boards, councils, and committees including: Kiwanis Club of Glens Falls; Glens Falls Kiwanis Foundation; board of governors of Glens Falls Hospital; Planned Giving Council of Glens Falls Hospital; Glens Falls Hospital Foundation; Widowed Persons Service of Greater Glens Falls Area; CompreCare Inc; Glens Falls YMCA Legacy Club Committee; WAMC Gift Planning Advisory Committee.

Born in Gloversville, Baker went on to pursue a career practicing law, achieving a B.A. from Cornell University in 1973, then his J.D. from Albany Law School in 1978. He was admitted to the bar in 1979.

Baker is married to Sandra Stoffolano and has two children, Christopher and Jessica. He is a founding shareholder of FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth PC, and former managing partner and current head of the firm’s Trusts and Estates practice group.

Carl T. Baker, Esq., founding shareholder of FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth PC. Courtesy ARCC

His professional achievements include authoring multiple publications, lecturing for the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs and chairing several of its CLE programs. In 2013 he led the 4,000-plus members of Trusts and Estates Law Section of the NYSBA as the Section Chair and in 2015 he was elected to the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, among other lawyering awards.

The J. Walter Juckett Award, named in honor of the longtime chairman of the Sandy Hill Corp., Continued On Page 4

2 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

‘Sleep And Spa’ Store In Lake George Offers Mattresses, Hot Tub Spas And Accessories •

The new Sleep and Spas location at 1851 Route 9 in Lake George is one of five locations for the business. Others are in Saratoga Springs, Latham, North Greenbush, and Kingston.

BY JILL NAGY At the new Sleep and Spas location at 1851 Route 9 in Lake George, they are selling almost as many hot tubs as mattresses, according to sales manager Kevin King.

Maybe a few more mattresses, he admitted, but dollar-wise, “it’s really even.” This is a good time of year for hot tubs, he said, noting that the company had just delivered two tubs to customers in Queensbury that day.

Business, so far, has been “very good,” King said.

The Lake George location, at the Log Jam Outlet Center just off Route 9, opened two months ago and it is the fifth location for the business. They also have stores in Saratoga Springs, Latham, North Greenbush, and Kingston.

King pointed out that the store is easy to find. It shares a parking lot with the Log Jam restaurant, a Lake George landmark.

In addition to mattresses and hot tubs, Sleep and Spas sells massage chairs, patio furniture, and swimming pool supplies.

They sell Memory Foam, organic latex, Innerspring and hybrid mattresses, as well as foundations and frames. Spas are the Bullfrog and Caldera brands.

King has been with the company for eight months. Before coming to Lake George, he helped build and open the company’s Latham store last August.

The Lake George store occupies about 4,000 square feet of leased space and there are two employees in addition to King. The company is owned by Eric Cruz.

All of the Sleep and Spa branches are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The company website is sleepandspas.com.

The telephone number is 518 896-8959.

Personnel Briefs

Capital Bank, a division of Chemung Canal Trust Company, announced that Tracey L. Wardwell, assistant vice president and Saratoga County retail manager, was named 2021 Banker of the Year by Pursuit Community Finance, formerly known as NYBDC. The award, presented to Wardwell by Pursuit Vice President Nicole Scribner, recognizes outstanding dedication to the small business community.

Wardwell joined the company in 2018 and currently oversees Capital Bank’s branch offices in Clifton Park and Wilton.

Wardwell graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business, with a concentration in finance and a minor in economics, from St. John Fisher College in Rochester. *

Jude Gosh 32 years

Dave Weiss 21 years

Spencer Agan 23 years

Dennis Choiniere 46 years

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Advokate LLC, a Glens Falls design and marketing firm, announced the hiring of Cam Cardinale of South Glens Falls as marketing and communications associate.

Cardinale is a datadriven content creator, photographer and digital marketer with a passion for social media, small business and Glens Falls.

He is also employed by the Charles R. Wood Theater planning and executing marketing campaigns, engaging with patrons at the boxoffice, and assisting with fundraising. He also oversees marketing campaigns for Cardinale’s Car Care and has marketing and administrative experience.

Advokate LLC, offers logo design, branding, graphic design, social media, marketing, web design, videography, copywriting and PR services, and now, specializes in custom illustration and design.

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Mechanical Design Service & Maintenance Facility Automation Services Sheet Metal Fabrication

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Arrow Financial Corp. has promoted named executive officers David S. DeMarco, David D. Kaiser, Edward J. Campanella and Andrew J. Wise to senior executive vice presidents of Arrow and its subsidiary banks as a reflection of the company’s strong operational and financial performance.

Each will continue in their primary roles overseeing the management of critical functions for Arrow, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. In addition to serving as chief banking officer of Arrow and Glens Falls National Bank, DeMarco is president and CEO of Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. Campanella continues as treasurer and chief financial officer, Kaiser continues as chief credit officer, and Wise continues as chief operating officer, each for Arrow and its two banks. *

Chuck Ciaccia 27 years

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West Mountain has added 2002 Olympian and U.S. Alpine national champion Thomas Vonn to its staff.

Vonn, who was a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1997-2005, served as the primary coach for World Cup and Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn for over 10 years, including the Vancouver Olympic games where she took gold and bronze. Additionally, he consulted with the U.S. Ski Team and coached aspiring World Cup and Olympic

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athletes from the U.S. and other nations. His specialty has been highly focused on elite-level programming and coaching for skiers rising to top world rankings.

Vonn will take on the role of coaching students ready to take on the next level of U16 and beyond.

The West Mountain Racing Academy currently has 100 athletes ages 9-17. To start, Vonn will lead a group of 10-15 FIS Alpine racers, with a goal to train future Olympians right at West Mountain. *

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Fenimore Asset Management, an independent, Capital Region-based investment advisory firm and manager of the FAM Funds family of mutual funds that operates in Saratoga and Warren counties, has hired Michael Weaver as a business development specialist on its sales team.

Weaver is responsible for the firm’s customer relationship management system and optimizing data and reporting procedures while providing other sales team support. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Siena College in 2021, with minors in both business and data science.

Founded in 1974, Fenimore Asset Management is an independent, nationally recognized investment manager with more than $4.6 billion in assets under management. *

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Associates of Glens Falls Insurance hired Todd Lunt as its client risk services manager.

Lunt has designations as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). He has over a decade as a human resources professional at a nationally recognized nonprofit, and other local organizations.

Lunt is an active member of the Glens Falls community and lives in the city with his wife Jen, their daughters Samantha, Emily and CJ. *

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NBT Bancorp Inc. announced that Heidi M. Hoeller has joined the boards of directors for NBT Bancorp Inc. and NBT Bank, N.A. Hoeller is a retired Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with over 25 years of experience as a leader in audit and fi nancial services.

Hoeller held numerous positions at PwC from November 1993 until her retirement in June 2019. She spent most of her career in the Northeast, including assignments in Syracuse, Hartford and Boston, where she served as audit partner on a diverse portfolio of clients within the insurance sector.

Prior to her retirement, she was a Financial Services Partner in PwC’s National Quality Organization for three years. During that time, she also led diversity and inclusion for a group of approximately 120 professionals.

Hoeller currently sits on the board of directors of Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, which she joined in May 2020. Since 2011, she has been a member of the board of trustees for Utica College. Hoeller received her B.S. in accounting from Utica College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a CPA licensed in New York.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 3

Couple’s Companies, Northern Living And ‘Luxury Box’ Sports And Entertainment Lake George Design, Have New Location Center In Queensbury Grows In Popularity

Katelyn Moskos poses in the new office of Northern Living on Route 9 in Lake George, one of the businesses she and her husband John own.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Northern Living and Lake George Design have relocated offices to 1849 Route 9 in Lake George. The vacation rental, property management and interior design businesses are owned by Katelyn Moskos and her husband, John.

In 2016, the couple depleted their savings in order to purchase and renovate their first short-term rental property on Lake George. At the time, Moskos was working in hospitality management, and her husband was a medical sales rep.

“Because I had been working in hospitality management for quite some time, I saw the potential and demand for vacation rentals,” said CEO Moskos.

“It was risky. Very risky. This was before Airbnb’s and VRBO’s became what they are today. I jumped in head first and it was sink or swim. I had no choice but to swim.”

Today, they own seven lakefront rental properties and manages 36 additional properties. Northern Living offers highend rentals and markets its property management services to people who own second homes in the Lake George region.

Moskos started out with one employee and worked out of her Queensbury home.

Today, she has a staff of more than 25 yearround employees. That number exceeds 50 during the busy summer months. Her husband joined the company full time in 2018 and serves as head of maintenance.

In addition to Northern Living, the rental and property management arm of the business, Moskos also owns Lake George Design, an interior design company. She works with customers who want to purchase second homes in the area to use as short-term rental properties.

“After they narrow it down to one or two homes, I meet up with them and their realtor and look at the home and give them the projected rental income that we can generate for them,” she said. “I give them the ideas of what to do to make that home their home. I also give them advice on where to put each dollar in order to get a better return on their investment. I can

Courtesy Northern Living

advise them on things like what size beds to put in and what type of amenities the renters are looking for.”

Many of her clients renovate the properties that they purchase, and Moskos is involved every step of the way. In addition to reviewing blueprints and working with contractors, she accompanies clients to retail showrooms to assist with the selection of fixtures and furniture. For those who don’t want to shop themselves, she offers them several options to choose from.

In October, Lake George Design and Northern Living relocated from a small leased space, a former bait and tackle shop, to a 4,000-square-foot building that was previously a dental office.

The property was completely gutted and remodeled to accommodate the growing operation. It is also home to Adirondack Kayak Co., a business that the Moskos’ added to their portfolio two years ago.

The company rents kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards.

“We started out just renting to our guests and had them delivered to the home prior to arrival and picked up after departure,” she said. “Recently, we opened it up to the public as well.”

In addition to renting water sports equipment at the new location, the office is open to the public. Customers can stop in to review vacation rental inventory and book vacations.

As Moskos looks to the future, she is focused on managing the company’s growth. She takes pride in the fact that sixty-five percent of their rental clients have rented properties multiple times.

“I don’t want to get too big. We are growing so rapidly, but I want to keep the same quality,” she said. “I don’t have a game plan. I’m letting the industry tell me what it needs, and I see that there are many areas in the company that have potential to grow—things we can offer than don’t exist in the area.”

The company websites can be found at www.northernlivingny.com and www. lakegeorgedesign.com.

Dave Brindle is the owner of the Luxury Box, a Queensbury-based indoor sports and entertainment facility that opened in the fall.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH It has been just over a year since David Brindle first broke ground on his business venture, The Luxury Box. The Queensbury-based indoor sports and entertainment facility opened in the fall, and since then, Brindle said they have been growing at a steady pace.

“Business started slow in October when we first opened. The week of Thanksgiving things increased. December was slow with people playing but we sold a lot of gift certificates. January really picked up with players coming in to use the facility,” said Brindle.

The facility is for any age and skill level, and can be utilized any time of year. Brindle said they have seen the units used for family nights, girls nights and game nights. He expects there will be more weekly golf tournaments starting this month.

He said all of the sports simulators are popular, with golf in particular.

“We have a large diverse client base. Weekends are busy with families using our multi sport simulators along with a wide range of age groups playing golf. As expected, most people coming in are playing golf in the winter,” said Brindle.

The party and corporate suite is one that has been heavily used on weekends since opening “We do have a few corporate members that use our facility for business meetings and team building. Our party and corporate suite can hold 20 people and costs $90 an hour, it is twice as large as our regular suites. It has two big tables with chairs, a pool table, air hockey, ping pong, dartboard, Xbox and a shooting simulator along with all the other sports in the regular suite. You can bring your own food and drinks,” said Brindle.

Initially, most customers were locals from Queensbury and Glens Falls, but more recently has seen an increase in people coming from other areas.

“Word of mouth has been spreading and we are seeing people come from Whitehall, Rutland and Saratoga,” said Brindle.

Each suite features golf, soccer, baseball, hockey, bowling, foot golf, frisbee golf and dodgeball.

Along with playing sports people can also watch TV and movies in leather reclining chairs. There is also music and a state-of-the-art sound system.

People can reserve a suite online at www. theluxurybox.net/book or call at 518-741-0015.

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4 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

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Wing Fest Returns To Glens Falls In April After A One-Year Hiatus Due To Pandemic

The Glens Falls Collaborative returns to hosting its annual Wing Fest in downtown Glens Falls on Saturday, April 30. Tasting tickets are $1 each.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2000 Business Of The Year

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

Editorial: RJDeLuke@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com Advertising: HarryW@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com Publisher & Editor Harry Weinhagen Associate Editor R.J. DeLuke Editor Emeritus Rod Bacon

Courtesy Glens Falls Collaborative

After canceling last year’s event due to the ongoing pandemic, the Glens Falls Collaborative returns to hosting its annual Wing Fest in downtown Glens Fallls on April 30.

Courtesy Glens Falls CollaborativeThe event is a competition between restaurants for the best wings. There will be an awards ceremony at the bandstand in City Park at 3:30 p.m. to close out the event, with multiple categories of winners.

There will also be live music in Downtown Glens Falls.

This year’s event is dedicated to Michael DuBray, also known as DeeJay DuBray, who helped found the event and served as its chair and champion for many years. He passed away in January and will be honored during Wing Fest.

Restaurants are invited to participate by applying online at www.glensfallscollaborative. com.

Tasting tickets are $1 each, and the number of tickets to taste varies by restaurant.

Participating Downtown restaurants will serve from their storefronts, and restaurants from outside the city will serve from locations along Glen, Ridge, Bay and Maple Streets and in City Park.

Voting will take place online at www. glensfallscollaborative.com. QR codes for voting will be displayed around town and votes must be cast by 3 p.m.

This event is produced by the Glens Falls Collaborative with major support from the City of Glens Falls and the Glens Falls Business Improvement District.

The Glens Falls Collaborative was created in 2012 by a group of dedicated merchants who wanted to cross-promote and increase business flowing to Downtown Glens Falls, in cooperation with the City of Glens Falls and the Glens Falls Business Improvement District.

The Collaborative has expanded to put on major Downtown events including Pet Fest, Wing Fest, Grandma’s Table, Take A Bite, Boo2You, the Adirondack Christmas Market and Hometown Holidays. The Collaborative also creates an incredible map of Glens Falls with a large distribution, beautiful joint advertising, and now includes restaurants, arts and nonprofit organizations, health related businesses, media arts firms, many different service providers and other area businesses.

Juckett

contributions to the Boy Scouts of America, New York Business Development Corporation, Salvation Army, Norwich University, Presbyterian Church, Hudson Falls Central School and many other organizations.

He was a supporter of the arts, having served as a director of the Lake George Opera and a major force in The Hyde Collection Capital Campaign.

Founded in 1914, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) is a 100% membership funded organization representing businesses in Washington, Warren, Essex and Northern Saratoga counties. The ARCC is a nonprofit corporation, governed by volunteer board of directors, and does not receive any funding from local, county or state governments. Its mission is to serve our members and business community through our advocacy efforts, education opportunities and the power of connection and collaboration.

Continued From Page 1 was created 33 years ago to recognize and honor a deserving member of the community who has selflessly gone above and beyond by contributing time and energy to help others.

To see a list of past honorees, visit twww. adirondackchamber.org/j.-walter-juckettcommunity-service-award.

The award is named after Walter Juckett who was a major community leader in his adopted home, the Village of Hudson Falls, as well as the entire region.

His leadership and commitment spanned a wide range of civic, charitable, religious, political, business and educational activities.

He was recognized with honors for his work and

Sales and Customer Service Harry Weinhagen Production Manager Graphic Precision Contributing Writers Susan Campbell Jill Nagy Jennifer Farnsworth Christine Gaf Andrea Palmer Lisa Balschunat 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.

Glens Falls Business Journal is independently owned and is a registered tradename of Weinhagen Associates, LLC, P.O. Box 766, Saratoga Springs, New York l2866 (518) 581-0600. Glens Falls Business Journal is a registered tradename in New York.

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.

Rights to editorial content and layouts of advertising placed with Glens Falls Business Journal which are the creative effort of its contractors, and printing materials supplied by Glens Falls Business Journal are the property of Glens Falls Business Journal and may not be reproduced by photographic or similar methods, or otherwise, without the specific authorization of Glens Falls Business Journal.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 5

Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health Center Hotel & Lodging Association Predicts Brings Services To SUNY Adirondack Move To Recovery Will Be Uneven, Volatile

The Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health Center began seeing patients at SUNY Adirondack on Feb. 10. Access to health care became a priority when the campus added a residence hall in 2013.

Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health is now delivering primary care services at SUNY Adirondack. The mobile health center will be on campus twice a month to serve students, faculty and staff.

This is the first time medical services will be offered on the SUNY Adirondack campus, which does not have a student health center.

Access to health care became a priority when the campus added a residence hall in 2013.

The mobile center is staffed by a family nurse practitioner, Christine Calistri, a registered nurse and a medical assistant.

Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health Program Lead Kristin Waller, who also serves as the onsite medical assistant, recently attended SUNY Adirondack’s winter student orientation day.

“We brought the unit onsite so students and other campus community members could tour through and get to know us,” said Waller. “The mobile team is thrilled to offer services to SUNY Adirondack and hope our flexible options, such as online appointment scheduling and same-day sick appointments, appeal to busy students and campus staff.”

“SUNY Adirondack is excited by the opportunity to advance our relationship with Hudson Headwaters Health Network and bring affordable, top-notch health care to campus for our students and their dependents,” said Kristine D. Duffy, Ed.D.,

Courtesy SUNY Adirondack

president of SUNY Adirondack. “Hudson Headwaters’ Mobile Health Center offers SUNY Adirondack students convenient, safe care to help our students make their health a priority.”

SUNY Adirondack is the fourth site served by the mobile health center. Other locations include Salem, Lake Luzerne and Whitehall.

The Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health Center is a highly customized, 40-foot, RVlike vehicle converted into a primary care medical office. It offers two fully equipped examination rooms, a registration area, point-of-care testing areas, a lab draw station and bathroom. A virtual tour of the center is available online at hhhn.org/ mobilehealth.

According to Hudson Headwaters CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland, the addition of SUNY Adirondack to the list of mobile health service sites “is another great example of the power of mobile to deliver care wherever it is needed most. We are thrilled to support one of our local community colleges and partners in this way.”

The Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation is raising funds to support the mobile program’s initial three-year pilot phase. Major project supporters include The Charles R. Wood Foundation, Stewart’s/ Dake Family, The Himoff Family and CDPHP.

The hotel industry will continue moving toward recovery in 2022, but the path will be uneven and potentially volatile, and full recovery is still several years away, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)’s 2022 State of the Hotel Industry report.

The report, which reveals shifts in consumer and business sentiment, was created in collaboration with AHLA Silver Partner Accenture and is based on data and forecasts from Oxford Economics and AHLA Platinum Partner STR. The top findings of the report include: • Hotel occupancy rates and room revenue are projected to approach 2019 levels in 2022.

• The outlook for ancillary revenue, which includes food & beverage and meeting space, is less optimistic.

• Hotels lost a collective $111.8 billion in room revenue alone during 2020 and 2021.

• Leisure travelers will continue to drive recovery: in 2019, business travelers made up 52.5 percent of industry room revenue; in 2022, it is projected to represent just 43.6 percent.

• Business travel is expected to remain down more than 20 percent for much of the year, while just 58 percent of meetings and events are expected to return. The full effects of Omicron are not yet known.

• Changing traveler segments, including the rapid rise of bleisure travelers—those who blend business and leisure travel—are impacting how hotels operate. In fact, one study of global business travelers found 89 percent wanted to add a private holiday to their business trips in the next twelve months.

• In this new environment, technology will be even more critical to a property’s success, according to AHLA Platinum Partner Oracle Hospitality—with hotels investing in technology to meet the needs of both guests and employees today and in the future.

“Hotels have faced enormous challenges over the past two years, and we are still a long way from full recovery. The uncertainty about the Omicron variant suggests just how difficult it will be to predict travel readiness in 2022, adding

to the challenges hotels are already facing,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. “The slow return of business travel and fewer meetings and events continue to have a significant negative impact on our industry. The growth of leisure and bleisure travel represents a shift for our industry, and hotels will continue evolving to meet the needs of these ‘new’ travelers.”

“Travel and hospitality brands still face an uncertain marketplace, but all these changes also herald a new era of opportunity to drive longterm customer loyalty. They should flex with demand and respond to the added complexities and volatility in travel by delivering a ‘travel partner’ mentality to their leisure and business customers,” said Liselotte De Maar, managing director in Accenture’s travel industry.

“Travelers are now not only focused on price and quality of a location, but also on cleanliness and sustainability values and impact, and expect a clearer, more digital service. Companies will need to continue to digitally transform, reinvent their loyalty model, as well as rethink the employee proposition, if they wish to thrive.”

AHLA officials said unlike other industries, hotels have been dealing with a major workforce shortage which could impact recovery. The AHLA Foundation is launching a new, national, multichannel ad campaign to help fill the hundreds of thousands of open jobs in the hotel industry. The pandemic wiped out 10 years of job growth.

This multi-year effort, “The Hotel Industry: A Place to Stay,” aims to help job seekers discover the 200-plus career pathways and many perks that the industry offers, including competitve wages, benefits, flexible schedules, and travel opportunities.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the U.S. lodging industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support and workforce development programs to move the industry forward.

Dan Washburn VP of Operations Hilltop Construction Reads

6 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

SPECIAL SECTION

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Construction Planning Work Ongoing For Car Dealership’s New, Larger Facility As Business In Region Grows

Gore Mountain Continued From Page 1

this winter, but are still higher than pre-COVID attendance.

Through Jan. 31, the state-owned center had welcomed 101,000 visitors this year, with more than two full months to go. “We still have strong visitation in March, but it depends on the weather, too,” Backes said. “Last year we closed on April 10.

Die-hards will be on the snow till the bitter end.”

Officials said most of Gore’s guests are daytrip visitors from the greater Capital Region and surrounding Adirondacks, although it also attracts large numbers of Metro New York skiers who stay for multiple days.

Backes said season pass sales are up significantly this winter. She attributed this to COVID, also, as quarantines and travel restrictions kept many people from going to Vermont ski centers last year.

“So they came here and once they checked us out they said, ‘This is a really good mountain. We’re going to buy a pass.’ And they stayed,” she said.

Gore, which opened in 1964, is operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

About $3.5 million worth of capital improvements such as trail improvements, additional snowmaking and two new grooming machines were made last summer and fall, in preparation for the current ski season.

But much bigger plans are on the horizon.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal includes $30 million for a sparkling new 18,300-square-foot lodge complete with a restaurant and tavern, ski and mountain biking shops and ski patrol headquarters, at the North Creek Ski Bowl site.

The new facility, expected to become a year-round destination, will include a unique recreational offering called a Rail Zipline, which combines features of a zipline with a rail system, similar to an alpine coaster. Riders will take a treetop trolley ride up the mountain on a route that includes several switchbacks and spirals. Once at the top, they’ll begin a high-speed descent up to 30 mph through several thrilling features before arriving back at the base.

Plans also call for a new chairlift and expanding the terrain with new trails near the Ski Bowl, where skiers first visited North Creek by train from Schenectady in March 1934.

ORDA hopes to have the project completed by autumn 2023.

While COVID helped Gore in some respects, like many businesses the resort is still adjusting

Through Jan. 31, Gore Mountain had welcomed 101,000 visitors this season.

Paul Post

to a new normal. The biggest challenge, felt by all types of employers large and small across America, is difficulty finding enough help.

The center employs 70 full-time people year round and 480 in winter. But there are about 100 fewer workers on hand this year compared to years past for jobs such as snowmaking, concessions and chairlift attendants.

“For example, we can’t operate every lift every day, it has to be staggered,” Backes said. “It’s tougher to find people who will only work for the winter. Lack of housing locally is a challenge as well.”

Also, many North Country residents can find higher-paying jobs at area fast food restaurants and convenience stores, which have raised wages in an effort to attract workers, she said.

“We’ve been doing the very best we can, our staff has been terrific at holding down the fort as best they can, but this definitely has impacted,” Backes said.

It could be an ongoing challenge as ORDA prepares for the 2023 World University Games, which Lake Placid last hosted in 1972.

The state has already spent $125 million upgrading and improving its 1980 Winter Olympic venues in preparation for the World University Games, which are expected to boost the entire Adirondack region’s tourism industry.

Work is progressing on a new 21,000 square foot home for Krystal Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Warrensburg. The dealership plans to move in early this summer.

BY PAUL POST A Warrensburg car dealership is planning an early summer move into a spacious new facility, nearly triple the size of its current home.

Krystal Chrysler Jeep Dodge is relocating from a less than 8,000-square-foot site at 4488 Route 9, to a 21,000-square-foot building 2.5 miles closer to the village, adjacent to Oscar’s Smokehouse, one of the North Country’s most popular retail stores.

Owner Steve Lofrgren said the move is necessitated by business growth spurred by the popularity of the Ram and Jeep brands, and the need for larger service capacity.

There are several other Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealerships in the region including Nemer, in Queensbury, but Lofgren said the new Warrensburg site will have unique features such as a Jeep-only showroom.

“We would be the only one north of Albany with this type of facility,” he said.

When facing the building, the Jeep showroom will take center stage in the middle. A separate showroom for Chrysler and Dodge vehicles will be on the left, with service to the right on the south end of the structure.

Krystal, which now employs 42 workers, plans to add about five jobs including technicians, sales staff and office help.

“They have to go through a lot of extensive training before they can sell or service vehicles,” Lofgren said. “Chrysler has strict requirements on that. They all have to take classes and succeed to

Paul Post

the next level.”

Lofgren, who lives outside Saratoga Springs, bought the dealership in 2008 from Sam and Tina Maltbie, who founded it in 1999. He also owns a wholesale used car business named Krystal. The Warrensburg business is the only full-service dealership for new vehicles he owns.

Lofgren purchased land for the project in 2016 and started drawing up architectural plans in 2019.

“Then COVID hit and everything stopped,” he said. Work finally got under way last summer.

Lofgren declined to cite an exact price tag, but said the project “is in the millions.” COVIDrelated increases for materials and supplies have added another to 10-15 percent to the final cost, he said.

Work is being done by Fort Edward-based V&H Construction, and financed by NBT Bank.

Lofgren said Krystal clients come from throughout the surrounding area including Warren, Saratoga, Washington and Essex counties.

“We get people from all over with help from the internet,” he said. “SUV and truck sales are 95 percent of our business. Ram is currently our best seller. Jeep production is moving forward as the availability of microchips is on the rise. By summer we should have fully stocked Jeep lineup.”

Plans call for keeping the current dealership site, which will be used for used car reconditioning and vehicle display.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 7

Stewart’s Shops Plans Construction Of Many Construction Employment Numbers Show New Stores, Plus Renovated Shops, in 2022 Companies Still Struggling To Get Workers

Stewart’s Shops is pursuing capital projects at 20 retail shop sites in 2022 including this new store, being built directly behind an older facility on Broad Street in Glens Falls.

BY PAUL POST Stewart’s Shops is pursuing another year of aggressive capital projects by putting stores in seven new markets, and replacing older facilities with large new buildings at 13 other sites including one on Broad Street in Glens Falls.

This comes on the heels of $50 million the Saratoga Springs-based company spent last year for construction on 18 shops, of which 12 were replacements, the company said.

The other six previously belonged to the Central New York-based Blueox Neighborhood Market convenience store chain, which Stewart’s purchased and rebranded as its own.

But retail shop upgrades are only one part of the company’s capital program. “We are continuing to invest in our manufacturing facility in Greenfield,” spokesperson Erica Komoroske said. “We recently completed a 54,000-squarefoot dry warehouse expansion project and we are currently expanding our deli cooler to address our ever growing customer demand for expanded food-to-go options.”

Founded in 1945, Stewart’s is among the Top 25 convenience store chains in America with 354 shops across 32 counties in New York and Vermont. Its territory stretches from Canton near the Canadian border, west to Oswego County, south to Orange County in the lower Hudson Valley, and east to Rutland, Vt. The firm employs about 5,000 people, 4,400 in shops and 600 between its manufacturing and administrative departments, according to the company.

Dun & Bradstreet Business Directory says Stewart’s has gross sales of about $1.67 billion per year.

The new shop on Broad Street in Glens Falls is scheduled to open this year, directly behind the

old one that will be razed to make room for gas pumps, which the site doesn’t have now.

Also in the immediate Glens Falls area, a shop near the intersection of Quaker Road and Dix Avenue in Queensbury, is being remodeled and enlarged.

Other projects, in various stages of approval, are scheduled for 2022 throughout the company’s market territory including several in Saratoga County. These are: • In Malta, relocation of existing shop to south with addition of gas. Approvals under way.

• On Marion Avenue, Saratoga Springs, submitting project plans shortly.

• On Weibel Avenue, Saratoga Springs, partially through approval process; doing DOT improvement with change to traffic signal.

• On South Broadway, Saratoga Springs, project submitted for approvals.

Shop replacements are also slated for Sharon Springs, South Potsdam, Ilion, Burdeck Street in Rotterdam and Mohawk Avenue in Scotia.

“We are still working to secure approvals on new-to-market shops for 2022,” Komoroske said.

“There are many factors that come into play when determining locations for new shops including proximity to our manufacturing plant, traffic patterns, needs of community and competitive landscape.”

“Due to our vertical integration, our expansion will radiate out from our current footprint,” she said. “We do not anticipate making any leaps far outside of our distribution network.”

Each new-to-market shop creates 10 to 12 jobs, the company said.

Without citing specific numbers, Komoroske said the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely impacted expansion plans.

“Supply chain issues have certainly delayed

Construction employment in December remained below levels reached just before the start of the pandemic in more than half the states as firms struggled to find enough workers to hire, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

But the Biden Administration’s decision today to withdraw its emergency vaccine mandate for firms that employ 100 or more people will help firms avoid losing workers unwilling to comply with the new measure, officials said.

The decision by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to withdraw its emergency temporary standard requiring workers at firms that employ 100 or more people to be vaccinated or tested weekly comes after the Supreme Court signaled its strong support for legal challenges filed by the Associated General Contractors of America and other entities against the measure.

The association challenged the rule late last year noting that the measure was unlawful and would do little to boost vaccination rates among construction workers, citing the fact that 64 percent of the construction industry works for firms that employ 99 or fewer people. With nearly 90 percent of construction firms having a hard time finding workers to hire, the rule would simply have encouraged vaccine-hesitant workers to move to smaller firms.

“The Biden administration is right to abandon its misguided vaccine emergency rule and we encourage them to do the same with a similar measure affecting federal contractors that we are also challenging in court,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer.

“At the same time, we will continue to work with the administration to ensure its planned permanent vaccine rule applies only to workers in industries like healthcare that OSHA deems at high risk from the coronavirus.”

From February 2020—the month before the pandemic—to last month, construction employment declined in 26 states, rose in 23 states and D.C., and was flat in Montana. New York lost the most construction jobs over the period (-42,000 jobs both the start and completion of projects,” she said. “We’ve had to remain flexible and use alternative materials versus preferred ones to keep projects on track.”

But most municipalities have returned to regular in-person meetings, so the planning and approval process is getting back to a new normal, she said.

For new construction, Stewart’s hires outside local contractors, which provides a significant economic impact. Most remodeling jobs are done by in-house crews, Komoroske said.

Stewart’s recently announced the closure of one store on Central Avenue in Albany. Closures most often occur at sites where space isn’t available to expand services such as fuel and hot foods, Komoroske said.

“We have no immediate plans to close any other shops,” she said.

or -10.3 percent), followed by Texas (-30,200 jobs, -3.9 percent) and California (-22,300 jobs, -2.4 percent).

The largest percentage losses were in Louisiana (-12.6 percent, -17,200 jobs), Wyoming (-10.9 percent, -2,500 jobs), and New York.

From November to December construction employment decreased in 16 states, increased in 32 states and D.C., and was flat in Nevada and South Dakota. Florida lost the most jobs (-3,400 jobs, -0.6 percent), followed by New York (-2,900 jobs, -0.8 percent) and Pennsylvania (-1,200 jobs, -0.5 percent).

Texas added the most jobs from November to December (10,400 jobs, 1.4 percent), followed by Ohio (5,700 jobs, 2.4 percent) and Missouri (3,700 jobs, 2.9 percent). West Virginia had the largest percentage gain (4.6 percent, 1,500 jobs), followed by New Mexico (3.2 percent, 1,600 jobs) and Louisiana (3.0 percent, 3,500 jobs).

8 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

SPECIAL SECTION

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Legal / Accounting

Employees Working At Home Creates Issues For Businesses, Including Cybersecurity

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH Part of owning a small business is having a good understanding of the laws that effect it over time. In recent years, understanding codes and protocols is more important than ever.

Law firms and human resource consulting agencies can be important resources to help small business owners.

They can even ultimately protect their livelihood.

Martin A. Miranda, senior counsel at Tully Rinckey PLLC, said his firm has seen an increase in cybersecurity concerns, as well as pandemic-related issues faced by small businesses.

“Due to the pandemic small businesses have relied more on their online business platforms. As more employees work from home, there has also been a significant increase in cyber attacks aimed at small businesses,” he said.

“Hackers may find small businesses particularly vulnerable for lacking adequate technology infrastructure and data security expertise.”

Miranda said to compound problems, networks outside of the workplace may not possess sufficient security measures to prevent cyber attacks, which have become increasingly more sophisticated and targeted.

Common methods of cyber attacks include phishing schemes, social engineering, malware, ransomware and password hacking, said Miranda.

He has also seen an increase in small businesses reaching out on how to best follow COVID protocols, a completely new area for small business owners to have to navigate.

“I receive many questions regarding how small businesses can maintain a safe work environment for their employees as COVID protocols evolve in response to the multiple variants. Implementing these protocols can be burdensome for a small business and enforcing the protocols can often lead to differences of opinion among employees,” said Miranda.

Attorney Marc Roman at The Towne Law Firm, P.C., provides a variety of cybersecurity, data protection, privacy and information technology services to clients. He said small businesses have recently developed a keen awareness of multiple exposures across a variety of risk Continued On Page 12

•

Martin A. Miranda, senior counsel at Tully Rinckey PLLC. Courtesy Tully Rinckey PLLC

Debra J. M. Best, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, of Deb Best Practices.

Courtesy Deb Best Practices

Marc Roman is an attorney at The Towne Law Firm PC. Courtesy Towne Law Firm

Business Report Dealing With Cryptocurrency In A Divorce

BY RYAN MCCALL ESQ. Cryptocurrency has become one of the newest and most prevalent investments of the last two years. As a result, the courts are now faced with the prospect of having to evaluate and distribute cryptocurrency as a marital asset during a divorce proceeding.

What makes this new and innovative technology so complex is figuring out how much each cryptocurrency is worth.

Assuming a spouse is using a U.S.based exchange, determining the value of an individual cryptocurrency is relatively simple. All that is needed is a subpoena duces tecum to that institution to obtain the necessary documents. Under these pretenses, the subpoenaing attorney would receive statements detailing how many funds were listed with that exchange and the assets could be easily valued as of any given date just as if dealing with stocks and investment assets.

However, what has become increasingly difficult is the rise of popular international cryptocurrency exchanges. Many of these exchanges are unregulated and will not comply with United States federal regulations. Courts should not be deterred by this in establishing a value for cryptocurrency as a marital asset.

In theory, certain cryptocurrencies—with the most popular one being Bitcoin—utilize blockchain technology, with each individual Bitcoin having a different identification number than the next. Blockchain technology has a continuous ledger of ongoing transactions that are performed and tracked.

With that being said, there are numerous ways savvy investors can attempt to hide their funds. The most popular way for someone to do this is through a “tumbler” which can issue a separate Bitcoin or fraction of a Bitcoin from the one currently in your possession. This creates a very difficult scenario for lawyers who would be faced with the task of attempting to track down these funds.

What is beginning to take place in the court system is identifying the value of a cryptocurrency based on funds that were

Ryan J. McCall, associate at Tully Rinckey PLLC. Courtesy Tully Rinckey

withdrawn from an account.

For example, if someone were to electronically transfer 5,000 from a marital bank account to a crypto currency exchange that is not regulated, a judge would be able to peg the value of $5,000 to a specific cryptocurrency and appreciate the value from there based on the date of the withdrawal.

In the event someone was to claim that they do not currently have the asset or exchanged it for a different cryptocurrency that performed poorly, the court should issue a value that would create a rebuttable presumption for the party that is alleged to have withdrawn the funds from the marital account.

While many have still yet to learn about cryptocurrency, with the massive increase in popularity it has sustained, cryptocurrency issues related to divorce proceedings are guaranteed to increase in the coming years.

It is important that with this new form of investment, you understand how the courts will view them in the event of a separation.

If you are going through a divorce, it may be beneficial to you and your future to consult with a legal professional with experience in this area so you can best manage your assets.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 9

•

Business Report A Successful Succession Plan

BY DAVID A. KUBIKIAN, ESQ. The word “succession” has become a larger part of our lexicon because HBO a few years back created an immensely watchable show about the cut-throat world of a family owned media company where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake depending on who gets to take over when Dad leaves (or dies).

Entertaining? Yes. Realistic? Maybe. A learning moment? Definitely.

Succession is defined as being “the action or process of inheriting a title, position, property, etc.” Every business, regardless of size, will deal with a succession event if it is in business long enough. While family in-fighting on private jets may be reserved for the Roy family on TV Sunday evenings, the planning as to the who, when, and how your business transitions from one generation to the next (or not at all) is something that should take shape long before an actual transition happens.

To illustrate this point, consider a few common issues that come up: 1. The Estate Planning Angle. An all too typical scenario, the business, started by one generation has a younger generation heavily involved. One child seems to have the chops to continue to run the business once “Dad” hands over the reins (that is IF he ever hands over the reins). Another child is involved but not as much.

A third child has no interest in the business and in fact lives out of town. Dad’s estate plan is to treat all of his kids the same. That is, his last will and testament or his living trust state that all assets held by the trust or governed by the will pass evenly to his “issue.”

Does this include the business?

The answer depends on how the business is structured and how it is owned. Whether the business has operating documents concerning the transfers of shares at death or whether there is a buy-sell agreement in place. In the event that the organizational documents reflect a certain chain of ownership, what impact will that have on the distribution of non-business assets via will/trust? Is there a need to insert provisions that can equalize the various distributions?

To further complicate things, the children, who remain owners, may not see eye to eye on well, anything. You have seen it on screen but it happens quietly off-screen all the time. What about Mom? Did Dad leave the shares to her?

Now what?

The fact pattern quickly turns to chaos and dysfunction. No real leadership, no real vision.

Simply create a plan.

2. The Non-Familial Heir. A similar scenario to the above fact pattern except the real “gogetter” at the business is not family at all. Dad’s right hand woman is a company lifer who not only knows everything about the business but has had to deal with Dad’s kids the last few years.

The question as to the best interests of the company are likely different than the best interests of the kids. Dad’s business is his largest asset. Now what?

Not an uncommon scenario however one

Regional Provider Of Bookkeeping Services Launches Professional Development Division •

David Kubikian is a principal with Herzog Law Firm.

Courtesy Herzog Law

that needs even more planning and thought.

Wanting the business to go to an integral executive/manager and wanting to leave your family the value of your business are not mutually exclusive ideas. Through agreements where the actual value or conceptual value of a business is set forth, Dad’s death or retirement can provide a pathway for the employee to buy the business from the family without drama.

Simply create a plan.

3. The Question of Value. For a lot of businesses, particularly small ones, the value of the business is closely tied to the owner of the business. Business owners need to ask themselves this simple question: If you could not operate your business, how would that impact the value of the business.

For many, they ARE the business. The inability to operate will mean there is no value. Machines and offices may be rented.

Other assets may be leveraged. Your book of business may not be as valuable as you thought, particularly when the service can no longer be provided by you.

Have a business partner? When all is well, money is coming in and growth is apparent.

Even if you have a wonderful operating agreement, which makes sure to state the destination of shares upon an owner’s death perhaps even with a set price tag associated with it, too often businesses do not have the liquidity to be able to follow through with the buy-out of the surviving spouse/family.

The solution here is an old friend, life insurance. When properly insured, a small business can be provided an injection of cash that will allow an owner’s estate/spouse/family to receive money from the remaining owners without destroying the business.

Simply create a plan.

The right path for your business will likely change multiple times as your business does as well. It is common for business owners to plan for success (the opposite of failure), growth, expansion, etc. Unfortunately, it is entirely common for business owners to fail to plan for succession. Create a plan.

Capital CFO, LLC, a regional provider of bookkeeping, consulting and CFO services to businesses and nonprofit companies, has launched its Professional Development division.

With an eye toward providing increasingly comprehensive business management solutions, Capital CFO Professional Development Division launched in January with online courses, workshops and webinars for business and nonprofit professionals. The complete curriculum will roll out over the course of 2022.

Sabrina Houser, Capital CFO president, saw the need for a cost-effective way for small businesses and nonprofits to invest in their employees.

“Providing employees with professional development opportunities is a smart investment that increases retention, builds confidence and credibility, and improves succession planning. Ongoing professional development can also re-energize staff and improve efficiency. It’s a win-win,” she said.

The addition of Professional Development extends the breadth of Capital CFO business management solutions to include webinars, workshops and online courses addressing topics that include strategic planning, finance, and nonprofit management.

“The most successful people (and companies) are always learning and growing by keeping up to date on their industry and area of expertise with an eye toward continuous improvement,” says Liz Chipman, M.Ed., director of education and employment. “We want to be able to help forward thinking companies and

Sabrina Houser is the owner of Capital CFO.

professionals do that in a way that is both cost effective and efficient.”

For more information about available Professional Development courses, webinars and workshops available through Capital CFO, visit https://capitalcfollc.com/ contact/ or call 518-350-4020.

Capital CFO is a privately owned business based in Saratoga Springs, serving the forprofit and nonprofit communities with experienced bookkeeping, CFO, payroll, and consulting services. Please email us for more information on our services and career opportunities. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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10 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Office / HR / Employment •

Business Report The Are No Shortcuts

BY MICHAEL CRUZ We’re all aware of the current labor shortage.

It makes it hard to fill your backlog or get your work done in a timely basis. It might make you feel justified in taking risks on marginal candidates for your jobs.

Don’t. Quick hires are all too often bad hires.

And bad hires cost you lots of money both in hard dollars and your reputation. There is the cost of advertising and recruiter fees. These are direct hiring costs. When you must replace someone, you need to do this all over again, and the original costs are never recovered.

Then there is the issue of what you paid that person while they were in your employ. The actual salary or hourly rate, plus the 20-30 percent benefit load, plus any expenses they incurred that were reimbursed. Add in what you paid to have their computer and cell phone set up, and costs for other tools.

Add in what you spent for outside training courses. Add in any severance expenses. Severance can be minimal if they were not there long.

However, when you linger in your decision, you are “running up the meter.”

Indirect costs are harder to quantify. Yet, they are far greater. You will need to take time to coach these people. And to listen to complaints about them. That negative energy drags us all down. Not only is the actual time spent wasted, but it also makes us less productive at the work we like to do.

It affects not just managers, but other employees as well. They will spend time complaining about your mis-hire. Often, they will have figured it out before you finally admit it to yourself. If they are in a customer facing position, they may have made life worse for a customer or client. You need to spend time repairing that damage. Lastly, they probably missed signals and lost some opportunities to pursue better initiatives that a productive hire would have seen.

Figure out how much your last mis-hire cost you. Use a specific example and this will come more alive to you. As you see, the numbers can be quite large. This is the most compelling reason for getting hiring right in the first place.

“If you do not have time to do it right now, where will you find the time to do it again?”

You need to follow critical steps. Now more than ever. It starts with a good interview. One that is completely based on understanding the candidate. Why did they change jobs in the past?

What experiences demonstrate their ability to learn? To adapt in your company? Remember it is not enough to figure out if they can the job. The key

Marshall Associates CPAs in Queensbury Is In Its Fifth Decade Serving Small Businesses •

Michael Cruz is president of Lighthouse Advisors LLC in Queensbury.

Courtesy Lighthouse Advisors LLC

in determining fit is something more. Can they do the job here?

An overlooked part of the hiring process is the reference checks. In large companies, we sometimes leave this to HR. In smaller companies (and the large ones too) we leave this to the end of the hiring process. You know, when you say, “I want to make an offer to this person. Let’s check references.”

This shortchanges the reference process in several ways. First, we have fallen in love with this candidate. That makes us have “happy ears.”

We don’t hear warning signals. We ask questions.

Would you hire this person again? What were his/ her challenges in their position? And others like that.

And we are asking these questions of the people that the candidate gave us. Face it, the candidate can find three people to say nice things about them.

The better way is to ask reference questions from people you know. Use your network. Use LinkedIn. Find people you know in common. Or people who may know the candidate. Ask for off-the-record references.

If you know me personally, I will probably respond differently. Ask these references with behavioral questions.

“Can you think of a time that they had to work on a team?” “How did Candidate X react to that particular situation?” Another is, “Can you think of a time you had a coaching moment with this person? What was it about and how did they react?” Find colleagues, not just former managers.

PROUDLY REPRESENTING THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BUSINESS COMMUNITY

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL Around the time Lynn A. Wadleigh, CPA was thinking of leaving the corporate world and into a career where she could be her own boss, her father, E. Peter Marshall, had decided to sell the CPA practice he had built over the past 40 years.

“I enjoyed doing financial statements for a senior management team,” said Wadleigh, whose accounting career spans more than 30 years. “But as my father was preparing to retire, I was thinking it was time to do my own business.”

Buying his firm, Marshall Associates CPAs, kept the business in the family and serving the community Wadleigh grew up in.

This was 2018 and Marshall was in his late 70s. His practice had grown along with his family and Wadleigh, her siblings, and their mother all worked there at different times over the decades.

“We all remember how busy the five of us were during tax season,” she said. “Raised in the CPA world,” Wadleigh graduated from Queensbury High School and SUNY Albany and got an accounting internship at Ernst & Young in Albany. She earned her CPA designation, started a career in public accounting, and planned to stay in it.

“I had an opportunity to take a position with KADANT, part of Albany International, the paper manufacturer,” she said. “By the time my father had his CPA and his own business.”

E. Peter Marshall started out with a degree from Sienna College and a local CPA partnership, she said.

“He quickly learned he wanted to be on his own working with small businesses in the greater Glens Falls region,” she said.

Wadleigh described the firm as a hands-on “boutique accounting business” that clients have stuck with “for 10, 20, 40 years or more.”

But until recently she was not interested in this type of career for herself. She had been a senior manager and the CEO of Warren and Washington County ARC and one day realized she had met all her goals, she said.

“I just wanted to shed that kind of responsibility,” said Wadleigh. She would purchase the business so her father could retire and Marshall Associates CPAs could continue supporting the businesses her father had helped start and grow.

At that time Wadleigh’s sister was working at the practice and won the lottery.

“My sister purchased the building and I purchased the business,” Wadleigh said.

Later when the building sold to Stewart’s Corp., Wadleigh and her husband moved to 94 Glenwood Avenue in Queensbury.

“We were torn about moving out of Glens Falls, but we couldn’t find the right location,” she said. “This building is in between downtown

Washington County Local Development Corporation County Municipal Center 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 518-746-2292 • info@wcldc.org • Loan programs for possible financing • Business training programs • Start up, expansion and relocation assistance • Commercial shovel-ready site information

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The Washington County LDC is an equal opportunity leader, provider and employer.

We take care of you so you can take care of business!

“I'm just around the corner.”

Lynn A. Wadleigh, CPA, is the owner of Marshall Associates, CPAs, in Queensbury.

Courtesy Marshall Associates

Glens Falls and Lake George, is heavily trafficked and convenient, and has worked out well for us.”

Marshall Associates does the same fundamental accounting and tax services now that it did in the early years, said Wadleigh.

“The firm today has the same mission it did back then,” Wadleigh said. “We are a partner and advisor to small businesses and their different needs. It’s not just doing their taxes, but being an overall business support for the new things they are taking on. If we cannot help the client, we will point them to the right person who can, such as an attorney or insurance professional.”

Wadleigh said she and her small staff helped clients secure their PPP loans when they were made available at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It surprised me how much we really can help people,” she said. “You need such a different mindset in a local firm than on the corporate side, and our clients really appreciate what we do for them.”

Wadleigh is finding success in other places now, she said, “reaping customers and repeat business. People are reaching out for things that might not be tax-related and this shows they trust us as an advisor.”

Wadleigh has become a real estate broker and now can consult with clients about residential and commercial properties through Coldwell Banker Prime Properties in downtown Glens Falls.

“Marshall Associates CPAs is a way to honor the family while being part of the downtown Glens Falls and Lake George revitalization,” she said.

Visit www.marshallassociatescpas.com for more information.

Coverage For THe THINgS YoU Care aBoUT • Auto Insurance • Home Insurance • Recreational Vehicle Insurance

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 11

•

Business Report A Time For Kindness

BY ROSE MILLER Every New Year is a time for reflection and planning. There is no better plan than reflecting includes ways to be grateful. It is also beyond time to exercise being nice to one another.

My mom passed away last August and her shining attribute was her kindness. Condolences from friends contained a repetitive story. They all remembered how my mom would always greet them with a warm smile, reach out to hold their hands and look them straight in the eye.

Such a simple gesture that impacted so many.

It got me thinking about how important little gestures of kindness can be in the workplace.

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, being kinder has become a necessity. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle. These battles have challenged our ability to be kind. There is so much negativity and confusion out there and practicing kindness daily can counterbalance the dark messages.

The workplace is an ideal place to do this.

We are physically and virtually together five or more days per week. We are interacting with a variety of people, some of whom are adding to our kindness challenge. Kindness, especially when unexpected, boosts morale and makes work feel a little less of a burden.

Statistics show how many of us need some kindness: • Roughly one in four people will experience mental health issues like depression or anxiety, which affects their families, partners, and their ability to perform at work.

• Of the U.S. employees whose stress interferes with their work, less than 40 percent bring it to the employer’s attention.

• Roughly 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. are experiencing a substance abuse disorder.

• About 38 percent of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in the lives.

• Some 10 to 25 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage.

• The divorce rate is somewhere around 50 percent.

• Some 97 percent of bankruptcies are filed by individuals or households.

These are the people you work with on a daily basis. They are the employees, the managers, and the employers, who all need your kindness and understanding. When you are the owner, it can be lonely at the top.

Being kind also feels good and research shows it triggers neurological responses that equip our brains to better cope with the struggles of others and be more resilient when facing our own.

In workplaces where acts of kindness become the norm, the spillover effects multiply fast.

I remember every kindness I was fortunate enough to receive.

Here are a couple of ways to practice kindness at work:

Atrium Financial Group Moves Into New Offices, Donates To Family Service Group •

Rose Miller, senior director of strategic relationships, GTM Payroll Services Inc. Courtesy Rose Miller

• Remember (or learn) social manners. Say hello, thank you, excuse me, your welcome, etc., every time, all the time.

• Take the time to learn your coworkers’ work preferences and respect them.

• Volunteer for a task before being asked.

• Always acknowledge a communication when received.

• Give a coworker a random compliment on their work.

• Acknowledge a deadline not met and give a new expected date.

• Wear a mask or get vaccinated because you care about coworkers’ safety.

• Invite a new hire to lunch or find a way to get acquainted.

• Listen to a colleague who is struggling without attempting to solve their problem.

• When frustrated, take a break before responding or criticizing.

• Share a personal story of a challenging event or situation. Showing vulnerability is very relatable.

• Demonstrate gratitude because it is both a kindness and a response to kindness.

• Look people in the eye (video on) and smile.

How would your workplace improve if everyone led with kindness to each otheremployers and employees, alike? Who would it attract? Practicing kindness helps life feel more meaningful. In the remote workplace, where cultivating meaningful moments is difficult, exhibiting kindness may be particularly important in helping employees with long-term job satisfaction.

The power of kindness can mitigate the ill effects of our increasingly challenging world.

A reputation in kindness can attract the best talent. It is an essential workplace skill that can pull people up, improving the culture of the workplace along the way.

The Atrium Financial Group recently celebrated the opening of its office in Glens Falls, with a ceremony marked by the donation of $2,500 to the Family Service Association of Glens Falls Inc. The Atrium Financial Group, a member of the Private Client Group at Northwestern Mutual, recently celebrated the opening of its office at 11 South St., Glens Falls, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that was marked by the donation of $2,500 to the Family Service Association of Glens Falls Inc. The donation benefited the Family Service Association’s Emergency Christmas initiative.

The new satellite office is led by private wealth advisor Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP, ChFC, RICP. The company said the new location allows the Atrium Financial Group to strengthen its presence in the Adirondack region, while continuing to build relationships with both new and existing clients and further develop their commitment to the Glens Falls community.

The Atrium Financial Group is led by founder and private wealth advisor William J. Newman, CFP, ChFC, CASL, RICP; partner and private wealth advisor Jeremiah J. Makey, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CASL, AEP; and partner and private wealth advisor Michael P. Mennella, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC. The firm works with families and small businesses that share its values of family, commitment to excellence, mutual respect, integrity, and personal and professional growth.

The team specializes in creating financial freedom through multi-generational estate planning and income distribution strategies. The company said its comprehensive, tax-efficient approach to finance integratestraditional financial

planning with cutting edge behavioral finance.

Finkel Murphy is a member of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce, where she is a founding member of the Women’s Business Council, and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Family Service Association of Glens Falls Inc.’s Christmas initiative serves families who find themselves unable to provide a holiday meal or gifts for their children. The fund was set up to help families in need during a time of the year when budgeting for expenses on a limited income can be difficult with increasing utility bills, warm clothing needs, school costs, and more.

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industryleading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With $309 billion in total assets, $31.1 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.75 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages more than $224 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses.

12 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

Continued From Page 8

Bank / Asset Management Women In Business Economic Development Corporations

Publication Date: March 17, 2022

Home / Real Estate Insurance / Medical Services Entrepreneurship

Publication Date: April 14, 2022 Call Today To Reserve Space

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL REGIONAL STOCKWATCH Stock Name

Albany Int’l Arrow AT & T Ball Ballston Spa National Bank Bank of America Best Buy Citizens Bank Espey General Electric Hilton Home Depot Int’l Paper Key Corp Lowe’s Martin Marietta M&T Bank McDonald’s National Grid NBT Bancorp Inc. Plug Power Quad Graphics Starbucks Sysco Latham Group Inc Target The TorontoDominion Bank Kaspien Holdings Trustco Bank Verizon Walmart

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Closing Price 1/7/2022

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89.38 36.48 26.29 90.51

88.90 36.28 27.18 90.59

83.38 34.62 26.61 88.33

81.67 35.39 25.21 93.50

84.86 35.62 24.08 93.68

48.00 49.18 102.50 54.22 13.15 101.40 152.00 393.61 48.87 26.35 251.09 429.20 176.93 267.06 71.61 41.36 24.96 4.24 107.57 80.46 20.37 230.78

48.00 47.91 100.04 55.93 13.15 103.16 147.98 372.00 49.50 27.07 242.60 402.63 185.34 257.71 73.65 42.14 23.44 4.65 100.12 79.79 19.92 221.40

48.00 44.92 96.45 50.24 13.01 96.30 142.26 349.10 47.29 24.79 225.02 382.30 160.11 254.59 73.58 39.23 21.06 4.48 96.31 77.41 16.24 217.25

48.00 45.87 97.64 51.70 13.08 92.10 143.39 366.54 47.18 25.13 234.99 382.83 172.07 256.09 73.79 38.54 18.76 4.37 97.21 77.63 15.17 217.67

48.00 48.28 96.83 54.05 13.26 99.01 145.50 359.67 46.79 26.17 229.07 372.05 179.56 260.06 73.12 39.09 21.43 4.38 95.00 78.76 16.64 214.04

79.21 9.77 35.29 54.24 144.89

81.64 8.56 35.52 53.28 145.06

79.69 7.99 33.56 53.16 140.19

78.45 7.56 34.08 52.90 137.52

82.79 8.29 34.05 53.31 139.33

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

vectors that demand their attention and remediation efforts.

“From a Human Resources perspective, small businesses continue to seek control over COVID-related staff costs, including legal liability, by implementing policies and biometric mechanisms that are often more rigorous than commercial regulatory guidance requires. Certain SMBs have also implemented policies that allow for staff separation where management is uncomfortable with either risk ambiguities and/or persistent staff resistance to certain control protocols,” said Roman.

Roman also said from an IT perspective, many businesses are moving to costeffective cloud-based platforms and products in an attempt to shift vulnerability risk management and maintenance considerations to third-party providers like Microsoft Office 365. The additional use of third-party vendors to provide outsourced IT technical support, management, and maintenance resources often leads to the establishment and management of new small business third-party vendor management programs.

“Small business risk concerns have been amplified over the last several years by macro-scale unpredictability in both the economic landscape and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Roman.

Roman said access to adequate legal support is always a concern, especially against a backdrop of changing regulatory landscapes.

“While the costs incurred for legal services may often be budgeted for, the defense against regulatory actions or the handling of civil claims by small businesses remains persistently unpredictable, and tends to also invoke non-economic, unforecastable costs such as evidentiary assessment and artifact collection efforts, and increased time investments from trusted management or critical staff,” said Roman.

Debra J. M. Best, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, of Deb Best Practices, has seen similar concerns at her human resources consulting practice. She has also seen an increase in COVID concerns for small businesses owners.

“For small businesses who have not ordinarily been required to implement and document safety protocols, COVID-19 compliance and safety protocols are

like OSHA on steroids. Almost all of the COVID-19 protocols are how employees should conduct themselves safely and what employers are required to do to keep employees safe, consequently the overlap with HR work,” said Best.

Miranda said other concerns have centered around employees working remotely. He said with evolving COVID protocols, it can be challenging for small businesses to ensure their employees remain safe and productive, all while feeling connected with their colleagues.

“School and daycare closures due to a COVID exposure have created an increased strain on employees trying to balance their employment obligations with family life and personal time,” said Miranda.

Overall, Miranda said privacy issues remain a top concern for small business owners.

“Small businesses may not fully appreciate their vulnerability to data privacy breaches until it’s too late.

Employees working while quarantined or in isolation can lead to inconsistent quality of service and general slowdown of services due to a decrease in available workforce. In light of these challenges, a small business can best prepare for commercial disruptions by staying up to date about the shifting landscape of cyber attacks and improving their communication concerning policies designed to protect employees from COVID outbreak,” said Miranda.

Best said the best advice she can give to small business owners is to keep the lines of communication open.

“Communication, communication, communication, especially effective faceto-face communication and clear follow up written communication to summarize the face-to-face communication. Employers can never communicate enough, it takes the average adult 5 times to integrate new information and new concepts,” said Best.

She also recommends establishing a relationship with an employer-side labor lawyer who specializes in NYS and federal employment law and regulation.

“This is such a large and complex area of the law, a general practice lawyer generally does not have the resources and the required knowledge base. Establishing that relationship when an employment compliance issue arises can be needlessly stressful,” said Best.

Washington County New Business Registrations JANUARY Vector Properties PO Box 282 Hudson Falls, NY 12839

Featherstone Farm 41 Black Creek Rd. Salem, NY 12865

Retro Hoarders Gaming 147 Broadway Whitehall, NY 12887

TJ and Sons Welding 51 Haviland Rd. Fort Ann, NY 12827

Floor Prep Solutions 842 Middle Rd. Granville, NY 12832

The Restore Barn 2118 Coach Rd. Argyle, NY 12809

Byler Wood Working 204 County Route 18 Whitehall, NY 12887

R and R Creations 40 Washington St. Greenwich, NY 12834

Edgewood Farm 56 General Fellows Rd. Greenwich, NY 12834

Economy Self Storage 2 4340 State Route 4 Hudson Falls, NY 12839

Dry Brook Sugar House 432 Chambers Rd. Salem, NY 12865

PBJKreations 66 Country Acres Dr. Hudson Falls, NY 12839

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 13

MG Sales Opens In The Aviation Mall, Selling Toys, Electronics, Furniture And More

Business Registrations •

JJ Brothers Real Property Management Yvonne West 9 Mountain Ave. Warrensburg 12885

Naturally Wild Taxidermy Samantha LaFond 2776 Route 28 North Creek 12853

Lily and Lace Rachel Rainbow 216 Queensbury Ave. Queensbury 12804

Adirondack Wood Bindings Jack Binder 43 Hudson St. Warrensburg 12885

Heilman Enterprises Greta Heilman 6485 Route 8 Brant Lake 12815

Charge Electric Jesse Lane 31 Fulton St. Glens Falls 12801

Resinably Sabe Easely Board Candace Smith 24B Kenworthy Ave. Glens Falls 12801

Alpha Electric Joshua Alexander 7E Tremont St. Glens Falls 12801

Wicked Beauty Amanda Holstrom 18 Ridge Road Glens Falls 12801

Selfie Spot Tasheim Stratton 578 Aviation Road Queensbury 12804

Crowned Curls Aaliyah Davis 7 Division St., Apt. 4 Glens Falls 12801

ADK Taxi and Car Stanley Pillesky 171 Bay St., Apt. 4 Glens Falls 12801

Upstate Bright Joshua Fountain 38 Howard St. Queensbury 12804

518 Glow & Shine Jill Cerrone 7 Grandview Drive Queensbury 12804

Lightly Healed Lisa Taylor 9 Parker Cross Road Warrensburg 12885

Donahue Hauling Thomas Donahue 28 Hayesburg Road Brant Lake 12815

Scapes & Skeins Emily Fitzgerald 49 Prospect St. Glens Falls 12801

Gabriel Katz Design Gabriel Katz 4 Edison Road Glens Falls 12801

Blissful Creations Melisa Blissful 664 Route 28 Warrensburg 12885

Rise Above Boutique Crystal Warner 21 Cottage Hill Road Queensbury 12804

SMR Construction Sean Richardson 127 River St. Warrensburg 12885

Cool Kidz Lemonade Miaashanti & Cordero Anderson 58 South St. Glens Falls 12801

Brayman’s Eatery Bailey Brayman’s 25 Haviland Ave. Glens Falls 12801

Top Notch Cleaning Anilauri Olds 10F Eagle Way Queensbury 12804

Extra Mile Mobile Wood Fired Pizza Robert Mastrantoni 7 Maple St. Lake George 12845

Above 9 Athletic Club Sarah Semon 301-303 Dix Ave. Queensbury 12804

Shining Light Legal Services Nicholas Vanderwerker 14D Moose Hollow Way Queensbury 12804

Alpha Brothers Contracting Matthew Hoffman 40 Revere Road Queensbury 12804

•

MG Sales has opened a 6,100-square-foot store that offers overstock, close-out and discontinued items including toys, housewares, electronics, furniture and more.

MG Sales has opened at Aviation Mall across from Regal Cinema.

The 6,100-square-foot store offers overstock, close-out and discontinued items including toys, housewares, electronics, furniture and more.

The store will be replenished with new product inventory every two weeks.

Patty Guilder and John McClure are the coowners of MG Sales.

“We are committed to bringing affordable products to this community, and we are looking forward to working with the mall to grow our business,” said Guilder.

James Griffith, general manager of Aviation Mall said, “We are very excited for the opportunity to work with another local entrepreneur, as local business operators are the backbone of our community.”

MG Sales will be open Mondays through

Shelley R. Riopelle Owner • Esthetician

142 Saratoga Avenue, South Glens Falls Skin Care • Body Wellness

Courtesy Aviation Mall

Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, please call 518-4801941 Aviation Mall is home to Target, JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Regal Cinemas, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and offers many other retail shops.

Additional information regarding Aviation Mall can be found at www.shopaviationmall.com.

Pyramid Management Group, owner of Aviation Mall, is a privately held real estate developer in the northeast. Headquartered in Syracuse, its portfolio of shopping, dining and entertainment destinations and expanding hospitality presence dominate the northeast with 14 properties located throughout New York and Massachusetts.

For more information, visit www.pyramidmg. com.

518.741.6001

shelley@skinrenaissancespa.com • skinrenaissancespa.com

14 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

t s e B e Th

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Open YearRoun d!

WINTER HOURS: LUNCH Fri., Sat., Sun. 11:30 am DINNER Everyday at 4 pm, Closed Tues.

Glen Lake 298 Glen Lake Rd., Lake George 1.3 miles from the Light at The Great Escape Check us out on Facebook!

792-3534 • Open Year Round • docksiderrestaurant.com

When she tells you her favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations.... it’s the perfect time to show her this.

Log Restaurant Jam The

• Lunch & Dinner Daily • Prime Rib • Fresh Chicken & Veal • Char-broiled Steaks & Lamb Chops • Fresh Fish • Live Lobster • 40+ item Salad Bar is included with all Lunch & Dinner Entrees • All Major Credit Cards • Reservations Accepted & Honored

(518)

798-1155

www.logjamrestaurant.com

I-87 Exit 20, Rtes. 9 & 149, Lake George, NY

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

Park 26

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

Jack’s American Bistro

Queensbury, NY Jack’s American Bistro was the culmination of a lifetime spent in the restaurant business.

After several months of planning in June 2004 the doors were open to a new dining experience in the Glens Falls/Queensbury area.

O’Toole’s Restaurant Pub

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

The Silo Restaurant

Queensbury, NY We hate to brag, but The Silo has a reputation for being one of the best places in the region for breakfast, lunch and delicious cider donuts.

Looking for jewelry and gifts? The Silo is also the area’s largest retailer of Ed Levin Jewelry

Doc’s Restaurant

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

The Docksider Restaurant

Lake George, NY Open year round on Glen Lake in Queensbury, The Docksider Restaurant features lunch and dinner with a fireplace for winter and a great deck for outdoor dining overlooking the water.

Lake George Wine Outlet manager Andrew Meader, left, and owner Zach Moore pose in the store that opened recently in the Log Jam Outlet Center off Route 9 in Lake George.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH The Log Jam Outlet Center Route 9 in Lake George has a new tenant that is adding a spark to the shopping center.

Lake George Wine Outlet had their official grand opening in mid-February.

Store manager and marketing strategist Andrew Meager said the store will give bargain shoppers a chance to enjoy some discounted pricing on their favorite wine and spirits. The store doesn’t carry just wine. Various bottles of liquor are available.

Delivery service is being planned for the spring.

“We will try to offer as many specials as we can to our customers. If we are able to get cases of something at a good price, we will then extend that to our customers,” he said.

Zachary Moore, who owns the 3,000-square-foot space, said they consider themselves lucky to have Meader running the store because he has a lot of experience in marketing.

Moore is a managing partner of Spruce Hospitality which operates the Queensbury Hotel and Fairfield Inn and Suites.

He is also third party manager of the Ticonderoga Country Club and property

The Bullpen Tavern

Glens Falls, NY The Bullpen Tavern in downtown Glens Falls offers a sports bar atmosphere with a state-ofthe-art entertainment system and some of the best wings you can find in the North Country.

The Log Jam Restaurant

Lake George, NY Experience lunch and dinner daily in an authentic log cabin. Enjoy signature sandwiches at lunch and succulent prime rib, juicy hand cut steaks, live lobsters, fresh seafood, chicken, and more at dinner. All entrees include our bountiful salad bar.

The Grateful Den

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

Davidson Brothers Restaurant

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

Birch Bark Eatery

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

manager for French Mountain Commons and the Log Jam Outlet Center.

The Outlets are also home to his other entrepreneurial ventures, Coastal Society and The Candy Space.

Moore said they are excited to have some well known retail stores in the Log Jam outlets, especially those that neighbor the new wine store.

“With the retail apocalypse and pandemic over the past several years, it led us to have some space available” and the wine outlet store was a good fit. “It’s convenient for our RV parks and the tourists who come into town. He have even had people stop on their way to places like Killington. So far, we are very encouraged with the amount of people we have had coming in,” said Moore.

He said they were slightly hesitant about opening a store in what is historically the slowest part of the year for retail, but he is encouraged by what he has seen so far and expects the foot traffic to continue to grow.

Lake George Wine Outlet is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Its website is lakegeorgewines.com and the phone number is 518-636-5940.

Raul’s Mexican Grill

Glens Falls, NY Enjoy everything Mexican at Raul’s Mexican Grill in downtown Glens Falls, where the ingredients are always fresh and the margaritas always flowing! From the tortilla chips to the tacos to the churros, everything on the menu is created with care.

Gourmet Cafe

Glens Falls, NY Chef-Owner Francis Willis and his wife Tracy continue the Gourmet Cafe tradition of bringing you the very best in creative cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere.

10 McGillis Public House

Lake George, NY Located in the heart of Lake George Village, 10 McGillis Public House is a chef owned and operated farm-to-table restaurant. Their menu changes almost daily in order to serve dishes made with the freshest ingredients.

Mikado Restaurant

Glens Falls, NY Let our chefs dazzle your date as they work their magic at one of Mikado’s hibachi grills.

In the mood for sushi? Mikado has all of your favorite rolls; from the classic California roll, to chef specials like the tropical treasure roll.

Fenimore’s Pub

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

Courtesy of GlensFalls.com

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022 • 15

Available Commercial & Residential Properties

Select Sotheby’s International Realty Enters Partnership With Two Other Realty Groups

Business Briefs

•

Masks are no longer required for guests who are attending an Adirondack Thunder game at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.

The mandate was listed Feb. 10. The announcement came after the updated New York state mandates.

However, it is still recommended that unvaccinated guests still wear a face mask, arena officials said..

“Ever since the pandemic started, we have followed local and state guidelines, and is very important to us to continue to do so,” Adirondack Thunder Team President Jeff Mead said. “These guidances allow us to remain open and keep hockey in Glens Falls.” *

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Artisan Trails in Washington County, Inc. is accepting applications for membership and seeking registrations for its countywide tour.

The nonprofit organization was created to promote excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts for the purpose of enriching the lives of the people of Washington County by the enhancement of the social, cultural and economic qualities of the community.

Its largest event to date is the countywide tour.

It is promoted through online advertising, print advertising and its widely distributed trail map.

There are a variety of membership levels available within the organization. Additional in-

•

formation is available at www.artisan-trails.org . *

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The Department of Social Services and Warren County Employment & Training Office is collaborating to identify worksites for its 2022 employment experience program. They are reaching out to nonprofits and government agencies that can provide a quality work experience for program participants.

The goal is to create an opportunity for enrollees to learn transferable skills and become better prepared to transition into successful employment. It is accomplished through a partnership with area host sites that offer meaningful work and supervision for the participants. In exchange, participants provide labor to the worksite at no financial cost and there is follow-up and support to ensure a positive experience for all involved.

The initial contact is to establish a list of agencies that would be interested in participating in the program once a client is readily available to be placed at an appropriate site. To be added to this list to become a future worksite placement, respond to a brief survey to better identify needs at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLS eBmZVi3RCYRfZM8LmMefUfnBfIbL1j34Cv54sjlvLOKI9Jiw/viewform?usp=sf_link.

Upon completion of the survey, officials will reach out with more details and a worksite agreement to sign.

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LI ST IN

G

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

EW

International Realty will serve as executive vice president, regional manager for the Upstate New York region.

“We are pleased to support such a strategic partnership on behalf of Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, expanding its offerings across the region,” said Gavin Swartzman, CEO of Peerage Realty Partners. “We are thrilled to welcome the Select and DiMauro teams to the Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty family. The combined company is even better positioned to dominate its market, extending the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, offering new and existing clients with a luxury experience and the highest standard of service.”

“Creating our partnership with Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty is a perfect way for us to continue and expand on our commitment to providing our agents, employees, and clients with the finest tools and leadership in real estate,” Collins and Izzo said in a statement.

Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty offers residential real estate services throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, focusing on providing the highest level of service, innovative marketing, and best performance throughout its markets.

Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty’s Vermont and New Hampshire roots run deep. As a company it is both homegrown and historied and committed to investing in the communities and people it serves.

Peerage Realty Partners is a leading residential real estate services firm, serving luxury markets across North America.

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Select Sotheby’s International Realty in Saratoga Springs is part of a new strategic partnership with Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty in South Burlington, Vt., and Peerage Realty Partners of Toronto.

This transaction will expand the company’s market presence into the midHudson Valley Region and Upstate New York.

This is Peerage Realty’s fifth partnership with Sotheby’s International Realty, the companies said in a news release.

The partnership will expand Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty’s footprint into upstate New York.

This new partnership will significantly enhance Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty’s position as a leading player in the premium residential real estate market throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and now Upstate New York, positioning it for further growth and future partnership investments.

As result of this transaction, Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, with which Peerage Realty partnered in July 2021, will now have over 303 agents, 48 employees in 23 offices across Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. The firm’s sales are projected to exceed $2 billion this year, the company said.

The combined company will continue to be led by CEO and Partner Alan DiStasio and President and Partner Laurie MecierBrochu. Dan Collins and Lou Izzo from Select Sotheby’s International Realty and Gary DiMauro from Gary DiMauro Real Estate will continue with the company.

Andrea Demoracski from Select Sotheby’s

1986 Crawford Road, Rotterdam, NY 12306 $995,000 This gorgeous barn was moved from Fonda and reimagined in 2011. The exterior has been fully insulated with SIP panels and fiber siding. The interior was meticulously designed and maintained, with no detail overlooked in nearly 8,000 square feet. The soaring ceilings boast a multitude of skylights that fill the space with natural light. 4 bedrooms, 3 and a half baths and room for more.

Sitting on a 38 acre parcel along the Moccasin Kill, this is a beautiful piece of land to overlook from the two tiered rear deck. Bring your friends and family, the 6 car garage and circular driveway has room for everyone. You could not recreate this home for this price.

Listing Agent: Dan Roohan | 518.527.7895 dan@roohanrealty.com

16 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2022

‘Ice Castles’ Attraction Continued From Page 1

don’t stay open and take advantage of it, I say, ‘You don’t know what you’re missing’.”

In addition to Utah, where Ice Castles is based, the company has similar attractions in Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Hampshire.

This is its first time in upstate New York.

“We researched it very carefully,” Blais said.

“I called communities wherever Ice Castles has been or still is, and talked to the mayors and supervisors. It fills every (hotel) room that’s available.”

Room reservations at Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center are up nearly 20 percent, said Tom Wysocki, sales and marketing director.

“Our weekends are sold out in February,” he said. “We also got a lift in midweek, which we normally may not have had. There was an impact on occupancy as soon as it was announced that Ice Castles was coming and the dates it would be open.”

“This is our best February ever,” said Jen Vidnansky, Lake George Holiday Inn sales director. In addition to hotel bookings, Ice Castles is also generating business for TR’s Restaurant at Holiday Inn. “It’s certainly pushing people this way, which is awesome,” she said.

The attraction opened on Sunday, Jan. 23 and will welcome guests as long as weather permits.

Site work began last fall with layout and design. Plans called for an early January opening, but mild holiday week weather delayed things a bit. Then, as temperatures plummeted, crews quickly kicked into high gear.

The structure was built by a team of about 60 workers, some local and others from across the country, under the watchful eye of project manager Joe Weiler.

The construction process starts by growing 5,000 to 12,000 icicles per day, formed by spraying water onto horizontal sections of chain link fence. Icicles are then harvested by hand and individually added onto existing formations, which keep growing as a fine spray of water, from nozzles located throughout the grounds, turns small icicles into tall upright pillars.

“To see it go from nothing to where it is now, it’s quite amazing,” Wysocki said.

When first announced, officials estimated that 90,000 tickets would be sold. But that number will likely be far surpassed as 76,000 had already been sold before Winter Carnival got under way on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Blais cited “enormous” collaboration between

the Village of Lake George and Warren County for making Ice Castles possible.

Warren County approved $50,000 in occupancy tax funds to support such efforts. In addition to Ice Castles and the Winter Carnival, the county has invested $215,000 in occupancy tax for winter events including the Festival of Lights, Adirondack Christkindlmarkt, Lake George Winterfest and New York State Ski & Education Foundation.

“This has an impact not only on Warren County, but the entire region, which we can showcase,” said Michael Bittel, Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “We are thrilled with the response to Ice Castles,” said Gina Mintzer, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director. “Visitors are coming from around the Northeast. Hotels are realizing robust business and a few restaurants that we know of have stayed open additional evenings including 10 McGillis Public House and Barnsider Smokehouse BBQ.” The Village of Lake George is also realizing a direct financial benefit, as Ice Castles is expected to pay $25,000 for the huge volumes of water needed to create the display, making it the water district’s biggest customer. It’s an environmentally-friendly attraction, as clean melting ice water will eventually run into the nearby lake.

Ice Castles is also open at night when thousands of colorful LED lights transform features into a fascinating sight spectacle.

“You see a beautiful, kind of glacial natural look during the day,” said Kyle Standifird, Ice Castles chief executive officer. “Then in the evening, that’s a whole different experience.

It’s fantastic. It really is a place where the imagination can go wild. We strive to bring magic to all of our guests. That’s our stated goal.”

Company founder Brent Christensen crafted his first icy creation in his home’s front yard, for his children, after moving from sunny California to snowy Utah. His ice cave was a hit with kids from all over the neighborhood and eventually across town as they bundled up and headed outside to play at the wintry wonderland, which they nicknamed “ice castle.”

More than 4 million people have visited Ice Castles at sites across the U.S. and in Canada since its inception in 2011.

Ice Castles has generated media coverage from numerous local, state and nationwide outlets including The Weather Channel, seen by millions of viewers across the country, which

Exhibit Featuring Robert Blackburn Is On Display At The Hyde Through April 24 The life and works of influential Black artist and master printer Robert Blackburn (19202003), whose innovation and expertise with the medium helped define the overall aesthetic of the American graphics “boom,” is highlighted in the new Smithsonian exhibition at The Hyde Collection.

The exhibit runs through April 24.

“Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking,” is curated by Deborah Cullen and organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in cooperation with the Trust for Robert Blackburn and The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts’ Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Program.

Blackburn was a key artist in developing printmaking in the United States. He became known as an influential teacher and master printer, engaging with avant-garde artistic ideas while promoting a new collaborative approach to a traditional medium. The exhibition traces Blackburn’s artistic evolution alongside the original prints of other iconic 20th-century American artists with whom he collaborated.

“For more than five decades, Robert Blackburn ran a workshop open to everyone. His printmaking knowledge and skill were legendary, and his generosity opened printmaking to generations of artists from around the world,” said Jonathan Canning, The Hyde’s director of curatorial affairs and programming. “At the same time, he was deeply connected to Black artistic circles including the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.”

Blackburn was born to Jamaican immigrants on December 10, 1920, and raised in Harlem, New York, during the Harlem Renaissance, an unparalleled flourishing of the arts, centered in New York City’s creative black community.

The arts were considered crucial to society’s well-being and a fertile medium for activism, and these values resonated with Blackburn throughout his life and work.

In 1947, he founded a printmaking workshop

as a welcoming space where artists of any level could learn and create together, and it remains in operation to this day. Blackburn’s art gradually shifted from figurative work to highly colored abstraction, creating a fascinating and engaging body of work.

“Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking” celebrates both the artist and the democratic, diverse, and creative community that he created. It features approximately 60 works, including lithographs, woodcut, intaglio, and watercolors by Blackburn and the artists he collaborated with, including Grace Hartigan, Robert Rauschenberg, Elizabeth Catlett, and Romare Bearden, among others. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and funding from the Smithsonian’s Provost Office.

The Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.Hydecollection.org.

helps promote and bring visitors to Lake George.

“Throughout the pandemic many events have been canceled, but this community has stayed strong, working together to ensure the growth of winter tourism in our area,” said Kristen Hanifin, county tourism development and events coordinator. “Over the past few years you’ve tirelessly worked together to bring a transformative winter vision to this area and region. We are finally making Warren County a

true ‘winter-cation’ destination.”

From all indications, Ice Castles could become a Lake George mainstay.

“I’ve done this at a couple other cities,” said Weiler, the lead ice builder. “Working with Warren County and the Village of Lake George has been unlike anything we’ve ever dealt with before. You’ve been so supportive of us.”

For tickets and information see: www. icecastles.com.

Robert Blackburn’s color lithograph is on display at The Hyde Museum.

Courtesy The Hyde