Glens Falls Business Journal - March 2022

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MARCH 2022

Lake George Chamber Director Gina Mintzer Woodchip Bioreactor Works To Protect Lake Elected To State Association Of Chambers George, Removing Algae-Causing Nitrates The Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS), a statewide association of more than 70 Chambers of Commerce, has elected Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gina Mintzer, CMP, MHA, to its board of directors for 2022.

Mintzer brings an extensive background in chamber of commerce leadership. She has been executive director of the Lake George Chamber since September 2017.

She is responsible for the overall development of the processes, productivity and profits that directly impact tourism in the Lake George region.

Mintzer leads the team of 11 full- and several parttime/seasonal staff. She also manages three visitor information centers.

Mintzer spent 19 years working as the director of sales of the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau. She’s involved in a variety of local, state and national organizations within the hospitality and tourism industry including the Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE), Meeting Professionals International (MPI Upstate New York), NYS Hospitality & Tourism Association, NYS Destination Marketing Organization as well as the Warren County Council of Chambers, SUNY Adirondack, and SUNY Delhi, among others.

Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Fla., she is a graduate of the University of Florida. She received her Masters in Hospitality Administration (MHA) through University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“I’m extremely pleased to have Gina Mintzer serve on our board to help further the work of the Alliance in providing professional development, valuable resources and strong advocacy insights to our chambers of commerce throughout New York State”, said Peter Aust, Eexecutive director of CANYS. “Gina’s passion for chambers is effusive, her experience extensive and I’m confident our association will

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

Courtesy Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce

continue to grow with her involvement”.

“It is a great honor for me to serve CANYS in this new role to share my passion of ensuring Chambers of Commerce exceed their true potential as the leading, and most influential business organizations in New York state,” Mintzer said.

The Chamber Alliance of NYS is an association of Chambers of Commerce dedicated to providing members with education and insight into the latest trends and issues facing our chambers, member businesses and communities in addition to providing a forum to connect and collaborate with peers throughout New York state.

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce strives to drive tourism to the Lake George region yearround while fostering a vibrant business community.

A monitoring study by the LGA, Lake George Waterkeeper and the town of Bolton, found that this woodchip bioreactor removed 38 percent of nitrate from the wastewater that flowed through it.

In what the Lake George Association believes to be the world’s first use of a woodchip bioreactor at a municipal wastewater treatment plant, the Town of Bolton is using woodchips to reduce the release of algae-causing nitrate into groundwater and a tributary that feeds Lake George.

A 27-month monitoring study conducted by the LGA, Lake George Waterkeeper and the town, found that the town’s woodchip bioreactor removed 38 percent of nitrate from the wastewater that flowed through it, compared to 0 percent removal of nitrate from the rest of the plant’s

Courtesy LGA

effluent stream.

The study was funded by a Lake Champlain Sea Grant.

Nitrate is a chemical compound present in organic waste that, when discharged to water in high quantities and over long periods of time can result in human and ecosystem health problems and foster the growth of algae, including harmful algal blooms (HABs). The Bolton wastewater treatment plant was constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s and, like other plants of that era, is Continued On Page 4

State Parks, Campgrounds, Historic Sites Phil Casabona Promoted To Become New Saw Strong Visitation Numbers In 2021 Executive Director Of LARAC Organization New York’s State parks, historic sites, campgrounds, and trails welcomed a recordsetting 78.4 million visits in 2021, continuing the robust level of visitation seen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From Niagara Falls to Montauk Point, our State Parks and Historic Sites are a treasure that every New Yorker should be able to enjoy,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “During the pandemic, parks and public spaces have become more important than ever, providing New Yorkers with safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces for gatherings and recreation. New York was proud to welcome a record-setting number of visitors to our State Parks last year, and we look forward to modernizing our parks system as we approach its historic 100th anniversary in 2024.”

Total visits statewide increased in 2021 by more than 427,000, driven by a dramatic rebound of more than three million visitors at Niagara Falls State Park compared to 2020, when international border tourism was curtailed due to COVID-19 protocols. More than nine million visitors went to Niagara Falls State Park last year.

Officials said state park attendance has been steadily climbing, rising 41 percent since 2008.

In addition to the total attendance, parks also set a new record for 2021 overnight visitation at campgrounds, with campsite, cabins and cottages booked for more than 787,000 nights.

“I am grateful that even more people decided they wanted to go to our State Parks and Historic Sites in 2021, even as other recreation options were becoming more available to them.

New York has invested significantly in recent

The State Park lands around Lake George accords visitors with scenic views. years to make its facilities world-class and even more improvements are coming,” State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said.

Empire State Development Vice President and Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levi said, “With more travelers increasingly looking for new ways to experience the outdoors, our world class State Parks system offers visitors unparalleled opportunities. I LOVE NY proudly encourages travelers from around the state, nation and world to include our parks, trails, historic sites and campgrounds as part of their next getaway and come be a part of all.”

The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC) announced that Phil Casabona will take over as executive director with the departure of Candice Frye.

Casabona was LARAC’s gallery curator and festival coordinator and has worked at the organization since July of 2014.

At LARAC, Casabona has been in charge of both the annual June Arts Festival and the annual Fall Arts Festival, as well as LARAC’s year-long gift shop and annual Holiday Shop. For the past four years he has also been LARAC’s gallery curator, bringing seven different gallery exhibitions to LARAC’s Lapham Gallery each year.

“Phil has been an integral piece of LARAC for years, and brings essential skills and intense passion to continue the work of LARAC. We are lucky to have Phil to work with as LARAC heads into the future,” said Will Sawma, LARAC board chair and head of the search committee.

Casabona, an artist himself, with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree, is active in the arts with his own home studio as well as representing the arts and his community through LARAC in his professional life. Phil is also an active member of North Country Arts in Glens Falls, where he has served since 2018 and is the organization’s vice president.

“I have felt at home here at LARAC these past eight years and have been humbled by the constant support of the local artists and community,” said Casabona. “I am looking forward to continuing to do my best for LARAC, the artists we support and who support us, as well as the community as LARAC’s new executive director. I intend to build upon the wonderful foundation that has been laid these past 50 years.”

Phil Casabona was LARAC’s gallery curator and has worked at there since July of 2014.

Courtesy LARAC

“I’m very excited with the Search Committee’s choice. Phil is the perfect fit for LARAC and he understands the needs of the artists and our community,” said the outgoing director Frye.

The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in Warren, Washington, and Northern Saratoga counties by supporting arts and culture through promoting, developing, sponsoring, networking, coordinating, and providing arts activities and services.

It is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

2 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

Jennifer Vucetic Of EXIT Realty Empire Associates Is NYSAR President For 2022 Local principal broker and owner of EXIT Realty Empire Associates Jennifer Vucetic is the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR) president for 2022.

She was formally installed Feb. 7 by 2021 National Association of Realtor’s President Charlie Oppler as part of the organizations mid-winter business meetings.

The celebration was held at the Crowne Plaza- Desmond Hotel in Albany.

Vucetic is a 2012 graduate of NYSAR’s Leadership Academy and a 2020 graduate of NAR’s Leadership Academy. She was named Realtor of the year in 2016 by the Greater Capital Association of Realtors, has served as local NS NYS Women’s Council of Realtors president and regional vice president for the National Women’s Council of Realtors.

Vucetic is also an 2019 Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC) Hall of Fame inductee, 2020 recipient of the Lawernce B. Caldwell RPAC Service Award and currently Region 2 RPAC trustee. She also has several professional real estate designations.

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Jennifer Vucetic is the New York State Association of Realtors president for 2022.

Courtesy EXIT Realty Empire Associates

Continued On Page 13

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Personnel Briefs

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announces that Tricia Rogers has been promoted to vice president of membership and community engagement.

Rogers has acted as the membership director since September of 2016, bringing in new members and maintaining relationships within the business community.

She serves on the board for the Tri-County United Way, Warren Washington Association for Mental Health, and the Glens Falls Civic Center Foundation. She also won the second annual Dancing with the Adirondack Stars competition hosted by Community, Work & Independence Inc. (CWI).

Rogers lives in Hudson Falls. *

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Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. announced the appointment of Cierra Colvin to officer and branch manager of the Fort Edward office.

In her new role, Colvin will oversee daily operations, provide quality customer service and develop banking relationships for the Fort Edward branch. She joined the bank in 2015 and was previously the assistant manager for the Kingsbury branch.

Colvin supports her local community as a board member for Washington County Learning, Employment, Assistance Partnership (L.E.A.P.). She is originally from Hartford, N.Y. and currently lives in Fort Edward.

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Densay Sengsoulavong, CEO of the Southern Adirondack Realtors, recently earned the Realtors Certified Executive (RCE) designation from the National Association of Realtors.

It recognizes exceptional efforts made by Realtor association executives.

Sengsoulavong is one of over 546 Realtor association executives who have achieved the mark of excellence. Local and state association executives who hold the RCE designation represent Realtors in 48 states and territories.

Prior to becoming a candidate for the RCE designation, applicants must document their association management and academic experiences and successfully complete an exam. To retain the designation, RCEs must be re-certified every four years. *

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* Advokate, LLC, a design and marketing firm, announced the hiring of Candice Frye as marketing and communications associate.

Frye has 10 years of experience working in the arts and nonprofit

business sector.

She recently left her position as executive director of LARAC to pursue a new venture managing short-term rental properties in the Adirondack and Saratoga areas. She has Continued On Page 6

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 3

New Technology Allows ‘Rocket Recycling’ Great Escape To Change To Process Hundreds Of Cans Per Minute Its Entryway For 2022

Tyler Russell, owner, and Allegra Christidis, store manager, pose inside Rocket Recycling in Glens Falls, a can and bottle redemption center that can process hundreds of items per minute.

BY PAUL POST An entrepreneurial couple has turned a widespread labor shortage to its advantage by adopting state-of-the-art technology to open a new can and bottle redemption center.

The business, called Rocket Recycling, welcomed its first customers on March 11. It is located at a former Stewart’s Shop building at 255 Ridge St. in Glens Falls.

“It’s all about speed, getting people in and out quickly and being super efficient,” said Tyler Russell of Saratoga Springs. “Our tagline is the ‘Fastest Redemption Center in the Galaxy’.”

He owns the firm with his wife, Julia.

“We just saw an opportunity to do something a little different, using equipment to differentiate ourselves from other places like this,” Russell said. “We’ve been kicking this idea around for several years. The biggest problem today is labor, the same as any industry.”

By surfing the internet, the Russells found an Elmira-based firm, JK Peris, Inc., which specializes in recycling equipment. Such technology eliminates long lines and reduces the need for hiring employees.

At supermarkets, customers have to feed cans and bottles into a machine one at a time. At some redemption centers, people may encounter long lines and have to reschedule drop-offs.

“We can do literally hundreds of cans every minute and be super accurate with it,” Russell said. “You should be in and out in minutes.”

The couple did research and analysis to make sure there would be enough volume to make the business viable. The location is in close proximity to a residential area and directly across the street from a new, heavily-trafficked Stewart’s Shop.

Eventually, the couple would like to expand to other markets, Saratoga Springs in particular.

“With Glens Falls, it was finding a building in the right location, all set to go, at the right price,” he said. “It was just the best place to start. There’s a few other locations we’d love to have, but the price is a little bit out of our reach until we know more about the economic realities of the operation.”

Russell is no stranger to the business world, as co-owner and day-to-day operator of a Lake George-based firm called StoriedBoards, which specializes in reclaiming authentic barn board and vintage wood, and reselling it for residential and commercial applications such as flooring, custom furniture, mantels and shelves.

Russell owns that business, which opened in 2012, with his father, Whitney, and brother Garrett. Whitney and Garrett Russell also own and operate Sunnyside Par 3 golf course in Queensbury.

A recent pandemic-related change in StoriedBoards’ business model helped trigger Tyler and Julia Russell’s decision to open Rocket Recycling. Previously, the Russells would go out in the field, and find and bring back vintage wood on their own, from throughout the Northeast.

They would enhance the character and attraction of old wood by researching and documenting the history of every structure it came from. So a homeowners could say, for example, that their rustic mantle came from an 18th century barn in Connecticut that was beyond repair.

“Unfortunately, along with everybody else in the world, our lives and business had to change because of the limitations we were faced with the past two years,” Russell said. “With COVID, you didn’t know if there was going to be a work stoppage, you couldn’t leave the state without quarantining. Interstate commerce was prohibitive.”

The Russells had to make a tough choice, cease operations or rely on a select few others to find and provide reclaimed lumber for them. They chose the latter.

“StoriedBoards is doing great,” Tyler Russell said.

The timing seemed right to diversify, so with a good location and the latest technology, he and Julia are now among Glens Falls’s newest business owners.

Rocket Recycling is open six days per week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; closed Sundays.

Great Escape is looking to change the entrance to the park before the summer season kicks off.

Great Escape Theme Park LLC, along with CT Male Associates, received a positive recommendation from the town Planning Board to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Park engineer Frank Palumbo told board members the project would increase the green space of the area by 34.8 percent.

The plan involves tearing down the current ticketing booth at the entrance of the amusement park and constructing a building that would house metal detectors for guests to pass through before gaining entry.

Palumbo said the previous entrance worked at a time when attendees did not have to be checked by park security before entering.

“This is the time we live in and most people are used to this level of security,” he said.

The new building would also include two bathrooms, which Palumbo said guests who had been traveling would appreciate.

“People who have just parked after a long car ride will now be able to access a restroom while they wait in line, instead of having to find one once inside the park,” Palumbo said.

The amusement park brought the plans before the Planning Board hoping to receive a positive recommendation regarding the zoning variances that would be needed to complete the new construction.

The first of the variances deals with a unique situation in which the zoning is divided on the same lot.

Palumbo explained that the park had previously received approval for the ticketing booth that is now standing, but due to the new construction, a vote would need to be held in order to approve the size and structure of the proposed building.

The plans also originally included a 35-foot light pole that would match the existing light post in the same area of the entryway. The town only allows for light poles that stand 20 feet tall, which caused the park to seek another variance for the proposed light fixture.

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4 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

Woodchip Bioreactor Continued From Page 1

lacking the denitrification stage found in modernday plants that converts nitrate to nitrogen gas and releases it harmlessly into the air.

Instead, nitrate is discharged as part of the effluent to sand infiltration beds where it enters the groundwater and sometimes resurfaces and flows into nearby tributaries, the LGA said. The bioreactor adds a wholly natural denitrification process to Bolton’s treatment capabilities.

When wastewater is diverted from the treatment plant through the bioreactor—an underground cell, 20 feet wide and 100 feet long, filled with a bed of Adirondack woodchips four feet deep—bacteria in the water feed on carbon from the chips and take their oxygen from the nitrate, converting it to nitrogen gas. Officials said the process has been widely used in treating high-nitrate runoff from agricultural lands in the Midwest for more than a decade.

The Bolton bioreactor was the brainchild of the town’s consulting engineer, Kathy Suozzo, and was funded by a $50,000 grant from The FUND for Lake George, which has since merged with the LGA. It was constructed by the town’s treatment plant and public works staffs, with volunteer assistance from local logging contractor Barry Kincaid, who supplied the woodchips.

It began operation as a demonstration project in October 2018 and treated approximately 30 percent of the plant’s total wastewater flow until being temporarily taken offline in June 2021 for maintenance and structural improvements.

Officials said the demonstration project was so successful that the town applied for and recently received a state Water Quality Improvement Project grant of $246,000 for the construction of two additional bioreactors. It is expected that the three together will be capable of treating all of the town’s wastewater flow, which ranges from 80,000-275,000 gallons per day, depending on the time of year.

“We were absolutely thrilled to partner with the LGA on this demonstration project and can’t wait to expand and improve upon Bolton’s worldleading use of this natural process to protect Lake George,” said Bolton Supervisor Ron Conover.

“I want to thank our treatment plant operators, Matt Coon and Justin Persons, for embracing and quickly becoming experts in this technology. The process may sound simple on the surface, but it requires a very careful balancing of a wide variety of complex factors to ensure that the bacteria are working to their optimum levels.”

“The Town of Bolton is leading by example in its use of a renewable natural resource— woodchips—to protect an irreplaceable natural

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treasure, Lake George,” said LGA President Eric Siy. “The bioreactor exemplifies the value of the committed public-private partnerships that are at the heart of the LGA’s broader Lake protection program. Together with Bolton and our other partners, we are not only providing an unprecedented level of protection, Lake George is becoming a recognized model for freshwater protection around the world.”

“Over the past two years, our study demonstrated conclusively that the woodchip bioreactor is an effective, affordable and environmentally compatible nitrate-reduction tool for smaller municipal treatment plants like Bolton’s that were constructed decades ago, prior to the advent of denitrification technology,” said Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky, who conducted the study along with water quality scientist and LGA science advisor Dr. Jim Sutherland. “We look forward to working with the town in the months ahead to further refine its processes for the long-term health of the Lake and the benefit of other communities who can learn from Bolton’s success.”

The Waterkeeper is a program of the LGA. Sutherland, the principal researcher, said the research team is planning to write a peer-reviewed scientific journal manuscript to describe and share the project with other scientists.

“This will be an extremely important publication that needs to be shared globally,” he said. “We took a concept previously applied to agriculture and aquaculture and developed the first in-situ, real-time application that successfully reduces reactive nitrogen in wastewater from entering the aquatic ecosystem.

“Reactive nitrogen is a problem globally and this Lake George demonstration project has huge implications and potential application around the world.”

“Excess nutrient loading on Lake George threatens local biodiversity, ecology, and water quality and spans beyond the Lake George drainage basin into the Lake Champlain drainage basin,” said Dr. Kris Stepenuck, extension program leader for Lake Champlain Sea Grant and extension associate professor of watershed science, policy and education at the University of Vermont.

“What’s good for Lake George is good for Lake Champlain, and we are pleased to have provided the funding for this very important study.”

Lake Champlain Sea Grant is a cooperative effort of the University of Vermont and SUNY Plattsburgh.

The full bioreactor study can be found online at lakegeorgeassociation.org/bioreactor-study.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Kim Cook Stepping Down As CEO Of Open Door Mission; Dean Brown To Replace Her Kim A. Cook, who with the support of the board of directors, staff, volunteers and contributors led the effort to expand the Open Door Mission’s work to serve the homeless and hungry at its at 226 Warren St. community center in Glens Falls, is stepping down.

Cook has served as president and chief executive officer of the organization for the past nine years and previously had served as chair of its board of directors.

Dean C. Brown, chief integration officer of the Open Door, will take over the position.

The Open Door Mission serves people at their point of need while encouraging personal growth and community sustainability. It operates an emergency Code Blue Shelter, a food pantry, a clothing closet, providing people in need with connections to community resources, counseling, case management, and training in budgeting, life skills and substance abuse recovery.

Its emergency food pantry serves more than 25,000 meals annually. In just the first weeks of 2022, the Open Door provided 1,289 bed nights.

Its Code Blue shelter has been open 89 days this winter season, officials said “Open Door has been my life for so many years. It has been an exhilarating challenge and success beyond what anyone could have imagined. It has been humbling to see God’s love and provision for the most vulnerable in our community,” said Cook. “I am so grateful to have been on this journey with such an extraordinary team of professionals and volunteers and so supportive a community. Together, we have been blessed by the opportunity to save lives, serve and comfort people in need, and to see real-life transformation, truly a reward beyond measure.

I am looking forward to taking some time to rest, spend time with my family and decide what our next adventure might be.”

“In nine years as president, Kim really brought the homeless issue to light in Glens Falls, enhanced community ownership of that challenge, started the Code Blue Shelter program, launched the innovative Life Path program to help people rebuild their lives, and raised over $5 million in local and national funding to bring us from a soup kitchen model to the comprehensive services now offered at 226 Warren Street,” said Jeff Purner, chair of the Open Door board of directors.

“Every day, Kim Cook has led by living our commitment to serve each individual without judgment or discrimination. She will long be honored as a humanitarian of the first order and a towering force for good in our community.”

In 2017, Mrs. Cook was honored as a Rural Health Champion by the Adirondack Health Institute, which stated she “has been instrumental in serving Warren and Washington Counties both while raising her family and serving the community. Her passion is serving women, men and children at their point of need, cultivating personal growth and community sustainability.”

In 2015, Mrs. Cook was recognized for opening the Code Blue shelter and her many years of distinguished community service with the Dorothea Dix Award from the WarrenWashington Association for Mental Health. She also was chosen by her peers in the association of

Kim A. Cook led the effort to expand the Open Door Mission’s work to serve the homeless.

Courtesy Open Door Mission

Dean C. Brown, chief integration officer of the Open Door, takes over as new CEO. Courtesy Open Door Mission

North American rescue missions to serve as vice president of City Gate Network’s Liberty District the last two years.

Born in Glens Falls, Brown has had a long career in human services, not-for-profit leadership, and ministry in The Wesleyan Church. He is a resident of Corinth, pastor of the South Corinth United Methodist Church, and a member of the Corinth Village Board of Trustees.

He graduated from Corinth Central Schools and Kingswood University in Canada. He now serves as a member of the board of trustees and was secretary of Kingswood University Board, where he co-chaired a multi-million-dollar capital campaign.

“I believe our very best days are ahead as we provide care and support to the homeless and deliver needed services to our community,” Brown said. “We will continue to innovate so that our guests are empowered to become selfsustaining members of our community. We are grateful for our many donors and volunteers who stand with us each day with their financial donations and generous gifts of support.”

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 5

Steve Perkins’ New Law Practice Specializes ANCA’s Adirondack Buyer Days B2B Trade In Real Estate, Trusts And Estate Planning Show Set For March 29-30 In Saratoga

Attorney Steve Perkins left McPhillips, Fitzgerald & Cullum in Glens Falls to start his own law firm.

He specializes in real estate, trust and estates, and estate planning.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Attorney Steve Perkins, who worked for five years at he worked for McPhillips, Fitzgerald & Cullum in Glens Falls, has started his own firm, Perkins Law PLLC in Saratoga Springs.

He started in the real estate department before moving into trusts and estates.

The Siena College and Albany Law School graduate handles cases in Saratoga, Albany, Warren, and Washington counties.

Perkins, a native of Saratoga Springs, works from home in order to keep overhead costs low.

He meets with clients at 524 Maple Ave., Suite 2, a space he leases from attorney Rita Young.

During law school, Perkins interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, litigation firm Wilson Elser, and Ayco, a Goldman Sachs Company. After graduating in 2016, he worked for McPhillips, Fitzgerald & Cullum in Glens Falls. He started in the real estate department before moving into trusts and estates.

Five years later, in the fall of 2021, Perkins made the decision to open his own firm.

“I’m definitely still in the building phase,” he said. “My model is that I work from home but when I need to meet with clients, I use the conference space on Maple Avenue. I really like that model right now, and I think a lot of people are doing that.

It’s really been working for me to help keep my costs down.”

Perkins specializes in real estate, trusts and estates, and estate planning. He also provides

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services related to business law and business formation and dissolution.

“I’m advertised right now as general practice, but those are the areas that I emphasize and those are really where my skills are,” he said. “I have a friend who did this a couple of years ago who I have been able to bounce ideas off of, and he really focused his practice on one area of the law to set himself apart in that area. That is really my goal too.”

Since forming his LLC in October, business has increased steadily, he said. As his firm grows, Perkins plans to expand staff and lease a dedicated office space. He is currently focused on building his client base and investing in software and technology. He is also working with a marketing consultant.

“I’ve had some wrinkles, but it has just kind of built organically. This last month is going to be my best month so far financially speaking. A lot of my business is through referrals from friends and family and past clients I’ve served at the firm I was at,” he said.

Although Perkins admits that going out on his own has been scary, he finds it equally rewarding.

“I like talking to people, meeting with people, and meeting with clients and getting to know them and gaining their trust. I’m looking forward to building and growing and helping the local community.”

For more information, visit www.perklawpllc. com or call 518-727-3241.

The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) will hold its Adirondack Buyer Days, an annual business-to-business trade show that features the work of artisan makers from across the Northeast, in an in-person format later this month in Saratoga Springs.

As the COVID pandemic loosens its hold on New York state, businesses and communities, regional retailers are invited to connect directly with local makers and purchase handcrafted gift products for their shops, organizers said.

The annual show, which was canceled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021 due to the pandemic, will return to its longtime home at the Saratoga Springs City Center on March 29 and 30.

Adirondack Buyer Days is a nonprofit, juried trade show featuring makers of handmade gifts from northern New York and northern New England. Product categories include housewares, personal care, value-added foods, garden and outdoors, apparel, jewelry, stationery and more.

The show is for wholesale sales only and is not open to the public.

Registration is open for buyers online at bit.ly/ adkbd.

“We are so excited to be back in Saratoga Springs this year. You really can’t beat the in-person experience,” said Lauren Richard, ANCA small business services coordinator. “When buyers are able to meet the makers face-to-face and see, smell and touch a wide variety of local products, it’s easier for them to make decisions about purchasing, plan for their upcoming sales seasons and add more local goods to their inventory.”

Despite concerns earlier this year about hosting a large in-person event, ANCA Executive Director Elizabeth Cooper said the show’s timing now seems optimal for regional business owners who are preparing for a busy 2022 season. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent decisions to end mask requirements in businesses and schools reflects an easing up of pandemic-related restrictions and public health concerns across the state.

“Visitors and shoppers will be returning to our towns and villages in large numbers this year,” Cooper said. “Now more than ever, locals

and visitors are eager to support small businesses and help them bounce back from the pandemic.

Adirondack Buyer Days creates a win-win-win for local shops, their customers and the artisan businesses they support. We’re so glad ANCA can provide this interactive experience again for our region’s businesses.”

Richard said she enjoys seeing products made by show vendors in stores across the region, like The Crow’s Nest gift shop at The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake. The Adirondack Great Camp, which offers lakeside lodging, fine dining, outdoor activities and cultural programs, stocks its shop with a variety of locally made gifts.

“Adirondack Buyer Days is great for connecting with a wide variety of regional artists and craftspeople who offer beautifully made products,” said Lynne Croucher, co-manager of The Crow’s Nest. “This is a valuable resource for us to maintain our focus on U.S.-made merchandise and small businesses. We’ve found a number of vendors that we’ve returned to for their wood and metal works, ceramics, jams, posters, mugs, holiday ornaments, candies and more. And there are always new ones to meet, which makes this a must-attend event for us.”

Richard said she finds the camaraderie among artisan vendors inspiring and contagious.

“Watching these small business owners meet each other, come up with new ideas together, and coach each other along the way is what Buyer Days is all about,” she said. “The buyers and makers who attend this show care about each other and the long-term success of our region’s small businesses.

Seeing these relationships develop and grow is truly inspiring, especially during this time that has been so challenging for many businesses.”

ANCA’s 14-county region includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Oneida, Oswego, Warren and Washington counties.

Retailers are invited to register before the show, which will take place at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Tuesday, March 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, March 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Questions about the event may be directed to Richard at lrichard@adirondack.org.

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6 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

SUNY Empire State Begins Bachelor Of Business Administration Program This Fall

Personnel Briefs Continued From Page 2

also been involved in the Arts District of Glens Falls and is vice president of the Glens Falls Collaborative. *

SUNY Empire State College’s School of Business was approved by the State Education Department to offer a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, which can optionally be completed online.

SUNY Empire State College’s School of Business has been approved by the State Education Department to offer a new Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree.

The program will launch in the fall term, with the option for students to be enrolled fully online.

Officials said the BBA is a comprehensive business degree designed to serve adult learners working in businessrelated fields who want to advance their career by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business or prepare for a MBA. The BBA program will require fewer liberal arts credits, making the new degree program an attractive option for students who want a strong knowledge base in all facets of business and community college graduates with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, officials said.

Courtesy SUNY Empire State

SUNY Empire State College Officer-inCharge Nathan Gonyea, Ph.D., said the launch of the new BBA degree program “reflects SUNY Empire’s ongoing commitment to helping students fulfill their academic dreams and professional ambitions, while also addressing the employment needs of the economy. The BBA will fit around the busy lives of adult learners and enable them to shift their careers in exciting new directions.”

“The time is perfect for SUNY Empire’s School of Business to offer a business degree program that contains all the subject areas that equip learners for successful business careers, with a design that is transfer friendly,” SUNY Empire State College Dean of the School of Business Julie Gedro, MBA, Ed.D., said. “Whether a student has an associate of applied science, an associate of science, or a Continued On Page 7

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

*

* The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) has four new members on its Ambassador Committee, Included are Bill Moon of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks, Jennifer White of Berkshire Bank, Jaki Rainsberger of Repeat Business Systems and Dan Washburn of Hilltop Construction Co. In addition, the following Ambassadors were chosen to serve in leadership roles on the committee: Jennifer Bliss from Hilton Family Farm Stand as chair, Russ Antonacci from TD Bank as vice chair, Holly DeKleine of nePROMO as secretary, and April Boucher of Community, Work & Independence, Inc. as secretary.

Moon has been the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks since 2015. He holds

degrees in humanities and social services, psychology and a master’s degree in human resources – strategic alignment.

He is the co-chair of the Community Coalition for Family Wellness and president of the Progressive Parenting LLC board. He is a Board member of Warren Washington Association of Mental Health.

White is a branch officer at Berkshire Bank. She is trained in small business development, marketing and sales development. She holds a BSBA degree in business management and an MBA in marketing from The University of Phoenix.

Rainsberger is a technology consultant for Repeat Business Systems. She has been an active member of the chamber for four years and is currently serving a term as Sponsorship and Membership chair for the ARCC’s WBC. Washburn has been a principal owner at Hilltop Construction since 2006. He manages most of the commercial projects for Hilltop. He is also a town councilman in Kingsbury. *

*

*

Sterling Manor Financial announce the addition of Gina Sherman, as executive administrative assistant.

Sherman has nearly 30 years of experience.

The firm undertook an extensive search process, combing through more than 100 resumes to fill the position. With an administrative assistant certificate from Mildred Elley Business School, she also holds a paralegal certificate.

She is a longtime resident of Saratoga Springs.

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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 • MARCH 2022 • 7

Lake George Regional Chamber’s Travel Northern Insuring Agency Experiences Guide, Celebrating 70 Years, Is Available Growth, Moves Into New Bay Street Offices

The Lake George Chamber’s Four-Seasons Travel Guide celebrates the organization’s 70th anniversary and introduces a special logo for the year to commemorate the milestone.

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce announced its 2022 Four-Seasons Travel Guide is available, celebrating the organization’s 70th anniversary and introducing a special logo for the year to commemorate the milestone.

The Chamber produces the Travel Guide in house and prints 70,000 copies annually. They are strategically distributed around the state, at AAA offices, and across the U.S. and Canada through direct mail by request.

“With new data from where our visitors were coming from, we were able to readjust our distribution plan in 2021 to place the guides where they’d be most likely to be picked up. In 2022, we made similar changes to our distribution plan to match current intel,” said Executive Director Gina Mintzer, CMP, MHA. This year’s cover features a photo of Paradise Bay by F. Cavone Productions as well as a photo strip showcasing different seasons and activities.

The cover design was chosen with the help of the Chamber’s social media audience, who voted on two different designs.

Some highlights of the content within the 52-page Travel Guide include: • Reader-submitted travel pro tips and photos.

• Color-coded area map.

• Lodging Grid to help people sort through

SUNY Empire

Continued From Page 6 trove of college-equivalent knowledge that we can help translate and acknowledge as credit applied toward the degree, our BBA provides an excellent degree for them to succeed in

Courtesy Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce

camping and accommodations amenities • 400-plus member listings including attractions, dining, shopping and more.

• Facts about Lake George.

• Lake George region trivia.

The submitted photos and pro tips will also be used in a social media campaign. Photos and pro tips are continually being accepted for social media and the 2023 Travel Guide online via a link at the chamber website, lakegeorgechamber.com.

The 2022 Travel Guide was printed by Freeport Press of Ohio without any special coatings in an effort to provide a publication that is as environmentally friendly as possible. It was also printed with water-based ink, which is thought to be more environmentally responsible than other options.

Print copies of the Travel Guide can be requested on lakegeorgechamber.com/contact or by calling (518) 668-5755. The digital version will be available in the coming weeks at lakegeorgechamber.com/ contact.

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce strives to drive tourism to the Lake George region year-round while fostering a vibrant business community. The Chamber seeks to promote growth and development of its member businesses by offering networking events, educational programs, ribbon cuttings and other opportunities.

Northern Insuring Agency Inc. expanded its presence in Glens Falls by moving offices to 21 Bay St., more than doubling the space it previously occupied.

Northern Insuring Agency Inc. recently expanded their Glens Falls office, moving from 136 Glen St. to 21 Bay St. The 1,200-square-foot office was previously occupied by Equitas Realty.

The insurance agency had been located in Whitehall since the 1970s, but moved into Glens Falls in January 2019.

Northern Insuring has been in business since 1930 and has two other offices in Plattsburgh and Potsdam.

“The Glens Falls region has been a positive strategic move for us and we quickly outgrew

our first location,” said Deena Giltz McCullough, president and CEO. “Thanks to the help of Peter and Suzanne Hoffman of Glen Street Associates, we have now relocated to a larger, more visible location with excellent parking. Our team—including Melissa Davidson, Sarah Genier and Patrick Kowalczyk—is dedicated, welcoming and experienced.”

The Glens Falls office can be reached at 518499-0444 or stop in the office, Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 8 a.m. to noon Fridays.

For more information, visit northerninsuring. com.

business.”

SUNY Empire State College chair of the Department of Business, International Business, and Marketing, Dongho Kim, Ph.D., said the BBA will allow working adults “to make positive career changes with a flexible and q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n i n business.”

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Women In Business

Glens Falls Native Is Named Director Of Paula Traina Started With State Farm In Development For Lake George Association Corporate Job, Now Runs Two Local Offices Glens Falls native Tyra (Lundgren) MacGuffie has returned home to become the new director of development for the Lake George Association.

MacGuffie, a 1985 graduate of Glens Falls Senior High School, joins the LGA after four years as director of advancement for Green Mountain Valley School, a premier ski academy in Waitsfield, Vt., that counts 26 Olympians among its alumni. In that role, she oversaw a $7 million capital campaign for the development of a world-class training and race venue.

MacGuffie said Lake George has never been far from her thoughts. She grew up spending summers on the Lake at a Route 9L camp that dates back to 1845 and was purchased by her grandparents, the late Thor and Donna Lundgren, in 1950. MacGuffie now co-owns the camp with other family members and visited regularly while living away.

“I am thrilled to join the LGA at a time when it is poised for tremendous growth and a significant acceleration of its Lake-protection capabilities,” MacGuffie said. “I am excited to be a part of an organization that has a mission I am passionate about, in a community that I respect and care for deeply, and where I feel a can make a significant contribution.”

MacGuffie’s accomplished development career in the nonprofit sector also includes 12 years in the state of Idaho as director of development for the independent Community School and for Higher Ground Sun Valley, an organization providing therapeutic recreation to individuals and veterans with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Prior to entering the development field, she served as soft-goods buyer and manager for a major outdoor recreation gear and apparel retailer with four locations in and around Sun Valley, Idaho. Her responsibilities included management of retail staff, communications and marketing, and special events planning.

“If you have spent any significant time on Lake George, you are constantly in awe of its beauty,” she said. “Some see it with their eyes, but most of us, especially those who have lived

Tyra (Lundgren) MacGuffie is the director of development for the Lake George Association.

Courtesy Lake George Association

here, feel it in our hearts. We drink the water, so, quite literally, it is a part of us.”

LGA President Eric Siy said her love of Lake George “is as clear as the lake itself. It’s a love she shares with the LGA’s leading supporters and partners, and I look forward to working with her to take our development program to new levels of success as now needed for the sustainable protection of our Lake.”

MacGuffie holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse University. She has an extensive history of community service, including serving as an adaptive alpine ski instructor.

The Lake George Association is the preeminent Lake-protection organization, providing technical and financial assistance to property owners via research and direct protection programs through The Jefferson Project, the Lake George Waterkeeper, and an array of public-private partnerships, public education programs and public policy advocacy, all with the goal of protecting the lake’s water quality.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Less than four years after establishing her first State Farm insurance office In Queensbury, agent Paula Traina is preparing to open a second office at 80 Warren St. in Glens Falls.

Prior to becoming an independent agent, she held a corporate leadership position at State Farm.

During her 14-year career with the company, she earned an M.B.A. as well as numerous professional certifications.

When the company consolidated operations and closed its corporate location in Malta, many Capital Region-based employees relocated to State Farm hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, or Phoenix.

Traina was managing corporate training at the time, and instead of relocating, she decided the time was right to open her own independent State Farm office.

“I always knew I was going to go in this direction but didn’t want to do it until I felt professionally ready to do it,” she said. “I wanted to go through the leadership program at State Farm and get experience on that side before I wanted to risk my own finances. I’m now self-employed, so it was more of a financial undertaking to go from being a corporate employee to being independently owned and operated.”

State Farm was aware that Traina was interested and approached her when there was an opportunity in Queensbury.

She opened Dec. 1, 2018 in a new office.

“I had no clients on the first day. I had very little experience in sales, and my entire background was in service. I handled claims, I managed claims and I taught people how to handle claims.

I knew I was going to do well. I just knew it was going to take a lot of work.”

After hiring three employees, Traina and her team hit the ground running. Business grew through referrals, outreach, and extensive online marketing. Her staff doubled in size.

Her office writes policies for both individuals and corporate clients.

The opportunity to open a second office in Glens Falls presented itself after the late Dick Saunders made the decision to retire after 65 years as a State Farm agent. It is only recently that State Farm has allowed independent agents to operate more than one location. Of the approximately 19,000 State Farm agents, only several hundred are multi-office agents.

“Dick was sort of an icon within the State Farm community, and a pillar in the community.

Dick and I maintained a friendship over the last few years, and I have a lot of experience with his customers because I was helping him for the last year,” said Traina.

State Farm agents don’t own the insurance policies they have written for customers. So when

Prior to becoming an independent agent, Paula Traina held a corporate leadership position.

Courtesy Paula Traina

an agent retires, their book of business goes back to the company. After Saunders announced his intention to retire, State Farm began interviewing agents who were interested in replacing him in Glens Falls.

It was a competitive process. She was ultimately selected .

Traina is in the process of hiring three employees for the Warren Street office that will open on April 1.

Finding qualified employees has always been a challenge. The employee shortage that resulted from the pandemic only exacerbated the situation.

“I was in a corporation where I had a whole team of recruiters doing it for me. When a candidate got to me for an interview they were already pretty much cream of the crop,” she said.

“Now I have to do everything myself and I have learned to outsource some of that in order to manage my time better. But I have great people right now and I’m seeing that candidate funnel starting to open back up.”

Traina said she will rely on her employees more than ever as she splits her time between two offices.

“My word of the year is going to be ‘delegation.’

I have an excellent team, and I’ve been really focused on building that team and teaching myself and my team what can be delegated.”

Despite the challenges associated with being a small business owner, Trainor couldn’t be happier with her decision to go out on her own.

“I love interacting with my customers and my team every day. I love being involved in the community, knowing my customers, and being able to help them.”

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 9

•

Business Report Caregiving And Planning For Care

SHERRY FINKEL MURPHY, CFP, CHFC, RICP Often, my work as a certified financial planner practitioner is also personal.

Traditionally, we spend a lot of time discussing marriage, educating children, the cost of retirement, etc. But we need to discuss ‘caregiving’ and planning for personal care as near-universal life phases of this age.

That’s especially timely now, when the pandemic has made these planning challenges more acute. Caregiving is largely gendered—75 percent of caregivers are women, according to Institute on Aging.

During the pandemic, 6 in 10 caregivers took on new or expanded caregiving responsibilities.

That is likely to continue as longevity increases. There’s a 50 percent chance a 65-year-old man will live beyond the age of 88. And there’s a 50 percent chance that a 65-year-old woman will live beyond the age of 90.

My 94-year-old mom is sharp as a tack.

She’s happy in her independent living facility, but growing frail as even healthy bodies do. She uses one of three rollators— each with different features—and a cane if she needs extra mobility and has my arm to steady her. Her shower has no step up. Her bed drops down to meet her. Her hearing aids are controlled by her iPhone (I am the chief iPhone troubleshooter).

When she has a doctor’s appointment, I’m the chauffer; and my work schedule is blocked out, accordingly. When she needs something in a hurry, I’m the go-to phone call. She’s the only person permitted to interrupt me in a client meeting. Although she’ll say, ‘If I’m dead, there’s no rush; so call me back.’ We’ve already managed the multi-year decline and passing of Dad, in his 90’s, a few years ago: late-stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis, home health aide, memory care, hospice.

Now, I am part of the ‘sandwich generation’—I provide care, both up and down the family tree. In the big scheme of things, my mother’s still-high-functioning cognitive capacity makes me a lucky one.

Her continued independence eases my role in caregiving. It also makes me think: I will be her one day. How will I want to be treated? Where will I want to live? What accommodations to frailty will I require?

It’s important, as women, that we take steps (read: save more) to prepare for leaving the workplace for caregiving--short or long term--and for our own frailty. Reducing the concept of ‘long term care risk’ to either residing in an assisted living or nursing care facility doesn’t capture reality.

Reality is moving to a first-floor

GO PLAY INSIDE!

•

Sherry Finkel is a private wealth advisor with The Atrium Financial Group.

Courtesy Atrium Financial Group

master bedroom; widening doorways to accommodate a rollator or wheelchair; adding a ramp and grab bars, going to rehab after having a joint replaced, or needing a home health aide, cook or helper a few hours a week. A fair starting point is an open discussion of who can affect your financial plan by requiring caregiving. And, for yourself, what caregiving will you require as you age?

If you live beyond the age of 65, there’s a 70 percent chance you’ll need long term care at some point. If you haven’t planned for it, there aren’t a lot of good options.

Long-term care isn’t usually covered by Medicare or private health insurance, and while Medicaid is the largest payer for longterm care services, eligibility is complex, and you have limited choices about how or where you receive your care. Without planning, this kind of caregiving often falls to the family, which, as we know, can have emotional, physical and financial tolls.

Some 58 percent of female caregivers reported their careers were impacted by their caregiving. What’s more, 31 percent of a caregiver’s monthly budget goes towards caregiving. Think about it. If you’re putting more money toward helping your loved ones, or if your career was impacted, you may not be sinking as much into your retirement savings as you need. That can be difficult to catch up on. Even the Social Security benefits you’re eligible for down the line can be impacted, because they’re based on your earnings over time.

As you plan for your financial future, make sure you take time spent caregiving and your own long-term care into account.

It’s often overlooked, but it is incredibly important.

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SUNY Adirondack announced the appointment of Rachael Hunsinger Patten as the college’s chief advancement officer and executive director of the SUNY Adirondack Foundation.

Patten has nearly 30 years of experience in fundraising and higher education, including having served as executive director of Development, Alumni Relations and SUNY Adirondack Foundation from 2012 to 2018.

“Rachael is a longtime regional resident with deep roots in the community and an inspiring history with SUNY Adirondack,” said Kristine D. Duff y, Ed.D., president of the college. “We’re excited for Rachael and her team to help us further develop relationships with area businesses, organizations, investors and alumni that will advance our strong network of donors in support of college needs.”

As CAO, Patten is the college’s chief fundraising officer, developing long-range strategic leadership and daily administration of the Foundation, Development and Alumni Relations. She is responsible for fostering relationships to support college programs and initiatives.

“When I first started working here, it clicked,” Patten said. “It felt like home.”

A graduate of Ithaca College, Patten has dedicated her career to higher education and nonprofit organizations, including work at Skidmore College, Albany Law School and Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC). At the latter, she said she fell in love with fundraising.

“That became the most rewarding part of the job,” she said. “Fundraising is the best career: It’s listening to members of your community talk about their values and matching those to your organization’s mission and, together, building great things.”

She joins SUNY Adirondack after working in development at a large community college in Pennsylvania.

“I loved living in suburban Philadelphia, but

Rachael Hunsinger Patten is the executive director of the SUNY Adirondack Foundation. ©2022 Saratoga Photographer.com

I have a really wonderful network of friends in this community and, after a year and a half of COVID, being so far away from them and family was wearing on me,” she said.

“Education transforms lives. Community colleges, in particular, are uniquely suited to empower individuals, elevate families, strengthen community groups and support our workforce,” she said. “It’s exciting to be part of that mission.”

Patten can be reached at 518-743-2255 or pattenr@sunyacc.edu.

SUNY Adirondack Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization established in 1983.

Its primary function is to provide financial support to the college and its students.

Funds are raised and distributed as student scholarships, faculty/staff professional development grants and to support collegerelated special projects.

To learn more or make a donation to the Foundation, visit www.sunyacc.edu/give.

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10 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

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Economic Development Corporations EDC Warren County Touts Building ‘The SEDC: Building An Economic Future Economy Of Now’ As COVID Eases Up For Saratoga County For Some 43 Years

BY JIM SIPLON It is certainly not news to say that the last two years of COVID have reshaped our area economy and the work we do to support it.

One of the often acknowledged aspects of the COVID era is the observation that the pandemic often exposed and accelerated shifts that were already underway but perhaps not yet fully understood. Our economy and its dynamic elements , things like an aging workforce and a lack of new housing, are perhaps the greatest example of this. Constructing the framework that will underpin the post-COVID economy requires us all to lean into this together-to understand and retool around the “Economy of Now.” EDC Warren County has long been focused on the strategic work required to attracting, growing and retaining business for our community. Classically, this was a process built around enticing new business to locate here and utilize our workforce to run them.

Our programs, incentives and resources were deployed primarily in ways designed to capture transitory or relocating business ventures.

While that work continues, it is transitioning before our eyes to a model that flips the traditional approach on its head. We are now in a competition for workforce, and those areas that have it will attract and grow the most successful business and economic entities while those that do not will struggle to build a sustainable economy.

This need for workforce is not new, in fact it has been building slowly in the demographics for years. Baby boomers are aging out, birth rates have declined and flight of our young has been going on for some time. But today this problem is not limited to the North Country or other less populated areas but is now almost universal.

A recent piece from the Washington Post said “the pool of potential workers has shrunk so much that getting back to the number of people employed before the pandemic would require unprecedented success in connecting job seekers and employers. Assuming more people don’t start looking for work, it would require an unemployment rate of 2 percent, lower than at any point since the measurement began in 1948.”

So how do we address such a disconnect?

Jim Siplon, president and CEO, EDC Warren County.

Simply working harder to recruit more businesses to locate here, or even those already here to grow, is not the answer if there are not enough workers to fuel that opportunity.

Maximizing our regions workforce participation has never been more important.

Increasingly another opportunity is shifting to mobile professionals that can live, and now work remotely, almost anywhere.

For the past year, the EDC and its many partners in the business and larger community have been stepping into this shift in an effort to understand and be visible to a new wave of professional relocation.

The things needed for someone looking to locate somewhere new and bring their job with them are the same things we all need.

It starts with a place to live and a broadband connection.

You can see this shift in the real estate market all around us. The Glens Falls MSA saw the ninth greatest rise in home prices in the U.S. during 2021. The EDC has developed a private-public partnership of sorts to dive into housing across the market from affordable to workforce to new formats to urban mixed use and work on the elements that will drive Continued On Page 14

BY DENNIS BROBSTON One of our beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln, once said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” That is our belief at Saratoga Economic Development Corp.

(SEDC).

Creating Saratoga County’s economic development future has been our mission for over 43 years of existence. Working with SEDC to create our economic future are many partners: Saratoga County and local governments, Saratoga County businesses large and small, our Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), universities and colleges and our K-12 school districts, to name a few. Over the last decade, SEDC and our stakeholders helped to create over 1,700 new jobs with over $170 million in payroll while retaining over 2,050 existing jobs at Saratoga County companies.

The year 2021 was another strange year as we all continued to adapt thru the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Like 2020, we were thrust into uncharted waters for supporting our existing businesses in Saratoga County while marketing our region for new and exciting companies looking for fertile ground to grow their businesses. And like 2020, this past year of 2021 proved to be another banner year delivering over $110 million in new investment while creating 182 new jobs and over $11.5 million in payroll.

Over the last two years, we have supported $232 million of investment creating over 629 jobs with over $38 million in new payroll while retaining 730 existing jobs. The years 2020 and 2021 are the first back-to-back years with more than $100 million investment in our 43-year history. We are thankful for all of the projects that allowed us to excel during this pandemic.

Promoting Saratoga County’s sites and buildings to site selectors across the country and throughout Europe will continue in 2022.

Our efforts to create more product (pre-zoned sites and buildings) continue as we work with our municipalities eyeing this type of growth.

“On spec” flex space is being built regularly in Saratoga County and the support of the Saratoga County IDA and the Town of Clifton Park IDA is vital to that continuing.

The rising costs of steel and building materials make it difficult to develop without

Dennis Brobston, president, Economic Development Corp.

Saratoga

Courtesy Saratoga Economic Development Corp.

the incentives our IDAs use to support new growth. Prospects require pre-approved sites and buildings in order to meet increasingly tight deadlines to produce and distribute products. We appreciate working with our planning boards and staff, property owners, developers and real estate associates as prospects look to us for guidance on efficient turnarounds for projects.

Retention of our existing inventory of businesses is an ongoing, daily effort and has become very challenging during the pandemic.

In-person meetings are at best sporadic and getting the owners and/or C-Suite leaders who are dealing with understaffing or quarantine issues to teleconference or video conference is difficult.

Our goal in these conversations is to understand their concerns as they operate in Saratoga County and New York state. Costs that affect their bottom lines are ones we are all familiar with. Property taxes, utility costs, ensation and other labor costs are just a few of the operating costs we discuss with those companies. Understanding their concerns as early as possible allows us and our stakeholders to communicate to our elected officials at the Continued On Page 14

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 11

City Of Glens Falls Creates Indoor Farm On Officials: War In The Ukaraine Has Adverse The Third Floor Of Building At 22 Ridge St. Effect On Area Employment, Supply Chain

Jeff Flagg, city of Glens Falls economic development director, shows the box-n-a box system—in this case 20x24 feet—that will be a growing space within the city’s indoor farm on Ridge Street.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF The city of Glens Falls will embark on the creation of a vertical farm—an indoor farm designed to grow vegetables and herbs.

The city received a $97,600 grant in 2020 to develop it. Glens Falls was one of 10 municipalities in the state to receive a share of the $1 million in grant money made available by the Empire State Development Smart Cities Innovation Partnership. The partnership is a pilot program to facilitate the development and integration of emerging technologies into public services.

According to city Economic Development Director Jeff Flagg, the idea of creating some type of urban/vertical farm is one that officials have discussed for several years. Not long after applying for the grant, the COVID pandemic led to business shutdowns and supply chain issues. Then the idea made even more sense.

“We knew we might be faced with empty spaces in downtown areas that needed to be repurposed, whether temporarily or permanently,” said Flagg. “We wanted to come up with a model where we could— relatively quickly and relatively easily and with minimal alterations to an interior space—create what I call a box-in-a-box. You build a cube within a room and that becomes your farm. It fits the contour of the room that you are building it in.”

The box-in-a-box design is one that can be replicated in any building with sufficient access to water and energy. It can also be easily packed up and transferred to a new location.

The third floor of 22 Ridge St., home to the [farmacy] restobar, was chosen as the location for the Glens Falls urban agriculture pilot vertical garden. Building owner Brian Bronzino offered the space at no cost.

A number of equipment suppliers from around the country offered discounts on necessary materials and several local plumbers and electricians have donated their services. National Grid has also provided fi nancial and technology support for the energy-entensive project.

To get a grant, municipalities were required to partner with technology companies. Glens Falls partnered wiht New York City-based Re-Nuble, a company that helps communities utilize food waste for more sustainable growing practices, as well as Syracuse-based The Tech Garden, a technology incubator.

The pilot program was slated for 2021 but was delayed due to COVID. Pandemic-related cost increases and material shortages have proved challenging.

“We were seeing delivery dates that went from six weeks to 16 weeks,” said Flagg. “The only thing that is holding us up right now Continued On Page 16

BY PAUL POST Some restaurants aren’t serving lunch, Gore Mountain can’t keep all of its lift lines running, and one area paper company is so desperate for help that it’s put up small roadside signs, hoping to attract new workers.

An already serious labor shortage could grow worse, creating serious problems for the Lake George-Saratoga Region economy if the Ukrainian crisis keeps young Eastern Europeans from fi lling hundreds of hospitality and tourism industry jobs this summer, local officials say.

“Such a heartbreaking situation,” said Amanda Metzger, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce marketing director.

“Th is could affect a larger region than only the Ukraine. We are prepared to market the available jobs as we had to last year, but it is with such a heavy heart that we prepare for this potential workforce shortage, thinking of what the people of Ukraine are facing.”

In a Facebook posting, the Lake George restaurant 10 McGillis Public House said, “All over the Capital Region and especially here in Lake George, we rely on the international students and J1 Student work program to staff our local businesses and boost our economy.

With the exception of the pandemic in recent years, hundreds of students come to our area to work each summer. Most of them work two or even three jobs at a time and they are an integral part of some business’s success for the tourist season.”

Many student come from Poland, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

“Not only do our businesses depend on these students and their hard work, but many of us have made lifelong friendships and remain in contact years after they’ve returned to their home country,” the 10 McGillis Public House statement said.

Many foreign students fi nd local summer employment through New York City-based InterExchange. In a statement, the agency said: “As we prepare for summer 2022 student arrivals, we are closely following developments in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

Given the current uncertainties, with border

Chuck Ciaccia 27 years

Jude Gosh 32 years

and U.S. Embassy disruptions, we do not know if participants from these countries will be able to arrive in the U.S.. Though some have arranged visa appointments in other countries, we don’t yet know how many will be able to obtain visas and fl ights.”

EDC Warren County President Jim Siplon said the larger nationwide labor shortage has been slowly developing for several decades, off the radar of many leading economists.

“For 50 years we haven’t had a birth rate at replacement value and yet we’ve never really talked about it,” he said. “It’s not surprising when you look at the data, but it seems to have crept up on pretty much everyone.

“Clearly the pandemic accelerated some of this,” Siplon said. “What would have been 10 years worth of graceful retirement for people in that 55- to 65-year-old age bracket happened almost instantaneously. They left the workforce and aren’t eager to come back in.”

“So we’ve had that contraction on one end and we don’t have that replacement factor,” he said. “The third facet is that through a series of policy decisions and the pandemic, our borders closed. Of course we have a labor shortage. There’s not enough young people coming in. Old people left at an accelerated rate and we decided not to let anyone in at the border.”

“It’s a perfect storm of events,” said Laura Oswald, Washington County Economic Development director. “There isn’t a business out there I’m aware of that hasn’t experienced difficulty in some way, shape or form with labor shortages. That’s basically all the way from larger businesses like the Fort Miller Group and Irving Tissue all the way down to small businesses. It’s impacting every industry out there.”

A steady exodus of people across New York to southern states with warmer climates and lower taxes has contributed to the problem.

“To a certain extent there are also skills issues,” Oswald said. “There may be job openings, but many people don’t have the right skills. That’s another thing we have to get better at—creating the correct training Continued On Page 15

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12 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

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Banking / Asset Managment James Morris IV Becomes New Berkshire Official: Community Bank NA Branch Shows Bank Regional President For New York State ‘Commitment To Saratoga-Glens Falls’ Berkshire Bank, which has branches in Queensbury and Whitehall, announced that James J. Morris IV will become the regional president for New York state.

Berkshire’s New York state region includes the Capital Region, the Mohawk Valley, and Central New York markets.

Under his expanded role, Morris will support Berkshire’s lines of business in the region including commercial and consumer lending, business and branch banking, and wealth management. Bank officials said his leadership will be critical to driving high customer satisfaction, serving clients, and expanding Berkshire’s brand throughout New York state.

In addition, he will provide oversight to Berkshire’s two community advisory councils in the Capital and Central New York markets.

“Berkshire’s commitment to the New York region has never been stronger and we will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen our service offerings and enhance our community impact and presence under Jim’s leadership. His expanded responsibilities will help us achieve synergies in the market and unlock opportunities for meaningful impact in support of our Berkshire’s Exciting Strategic Transformation (BEST) and BEST Community Comeback plans,” stated Sean Gray, president and COO of Berkshire Bank.

Morris is a seasoned banking professional who has served as regional president for the Capital Region market since January 2020, in addition to leading the commercial real estate team throughout the state.

Since joining Berkshire in 2015, he has directed new business origination, coordinated commercial lending activities, and built deeper connections with communities. Prior to joining Berkshire Bank, Morris had previous roles in commercial lending at Kinderhook Bank, Paragon Prime Funding, Citizens Bank, and Charter One Bank.

“I am looking forward to leading a unified team that represents all of Berkshire’s New

James J. Morris IV will be regional president for Berkshire Bank in New York state.

Courtesy Berkshire Bank

York markets,” Morris said. “I have complete confidence in the entire region and know that together, our team can accomplish anything.”

Morris is an active volunteer. He is incoming chair of the governing board of the Center for Disability Services, an organization that provides innovative services and expert care for 15,000 individuals with disabilities and chronic medical conditions in Upstate New York. He is also a board member and past president for Prospect Center, a nonprofit organization that offers multifaceted services for at risk and developmentally disabled individuals in the Saratoga, Warren & Washington county area.

Morris is also a board director and former treasurer of the board for Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

Morris received his Bachelor of Science from SUNY New Paltz and holds the MAI designation from the National Appraisal Institute. He is a Fellow of the Leadership Saratoga program.

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Paul T. Wersten is the vice president, commercial banking officer, at Community Bank NA branch in Saratoga Springs. The office will serve commercial customers in Saratoga and Warren counties.

BY JILL NAGY Community Bank NA has opened an office in Saratoga Springs, fillinga gap between its outposts in Latham and Whitehall and providing a more convenient location for commercial banking customers in Saratoga and Warren Counties. Jeffrey M. Levy, Community Bank president of commercial banking, who heads the new office, said that it “demonstrates our commitment to the Saratoga-Glens Falls community.”

The office is located on the second f loor of The Washington building, 422 Broadway, upstairs from Northshire Bookstore and Kilwins. At least initially, the office will serve commercial clients with lending, insurance and wealth management services.

It will not accept deposits and there are no tellers’ cages. Its four employees are “just the start,” according to Levy. Two of them will concentrate on making loans and one each will provide insurance and wealth management services.

Community Bank has 11 branches in

©2022 Saratoga Photographer.com

the Capital Region, including Albany, Latham, Whitehall, and Lake Placid.

Their southernmost office is in Albany’s Corporate Woods. Their community focus places them in non-metropolitan areas, i.e., not in large cities. In addition to the Capital Region, the bank has offices in Northeast Pennsylvania, Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and every county in Upstate New York, Levy said.

There are no immediate plans for further expansion, Levy said, but noted that Gens Falls “fits in with our whole model.”

Levy has been with Community Bank since 2018. Before that, he held executive positions with NBT Bank and M&T Bank.

“Today, I am from Saratoga Springs,” he said. He has lived in the city for three years, after 21 years in Guilderland.

“My hours are 24/7,” he said, but admitted that the office keeps bankers’ hours, 9 to 5.

Generally, clients come in by appointment.

They are easy to find on the web: at CBNA. com. The telephone number is (315) 4452282.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 13

•

Business Report Staying The Course In Uncertain Times

BY KENNETH J. ENTENMANN As the world watches the events unfold in Ukraine, it goes without saying that what we are witnessing is tragic and the human toll is something that cannot be understated.

Military action always brings uncertainty, and it is difficult to assess the full extent of the situation while it is unfolding. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is no exception, and it has resulted in stunning market volatility.

However, strictly from an investment and economic perspective, geopolitical events rarely cause major bear markets or recessions. The markets tend to view them like natural disasters. That is, they are highly regionalized, they cause significant loss of property and life, but tend to be short-lived.

Historically, dating back to the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990, there have been nine global military “interventions.” The time period from the onset of the event and the market bottom ranges from 0 days to 70 days. For example, the market bottomed out 10 days after the 9/11 attack in 2001.

The average decline in the S&P 500 is -6.9 percent. Importantly, the markets tend to recover quickly.

The average one-month return after the bottom is 2.2 percent, the three-month return is 5.4 percent and the one-year return is 13.5 percent. Like all geopolitical events, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is impossible to predict. That said, it is likely to follow history’s pattern for a few reasons.

First, when we look at the global economy as a whole, the Russian and Ukrainian economies are small. The U.S. economy is the largest in the world at $21.4 trillion and nearly 25 percent of the total global GDP. By comparison, the Russian GDP is $1.7 trillion and 1.94 percent of global GDP while Ukraine’s GDP is estimated to be $156 billion.

Both economies are commodity driven.

Economic sanctions will certainly impact the Russian economy, perhaps reducing it by as much as 50 percent, making it an even smaller part of global GDP. Therefore, regardless of the duration and extent of the situation, it is unlikely to have a major impact on global economic growth. However, it certainly will be disruptive and negative for growth in the short-term. Russia is a significant energy producer, and it is not surprising oil prices have jumped dramatically. The Wheat, Corn, Palladium and Nickel markets will be impacted as well.

The conflict will be more damaging to Europe than the U.S. as it is estimated that less than 1 percent of the total revenue of the S&P 500 is derived in Russia. In addition, U.S. energy companies have limited exposure to Russia and divested after the Russian Crimea annexation in 2014. However, Europe has a deeper trading partnership in the region.

European energy companies have several joint ventures in Russia, many of which they have been forced to divest this week. Nearly 40 percent of all energy consumed in the

• •

Kenneth J. Entenmann, CFA, chief investment officer and chief economist, NBT Bank.

Courtesy NBT Bank

European Union comes from Russia.

Many have argued that this energy dependence was a great enabler of Russia in this conflict. Indeed, there have yet to be sanctions placed on the Russian energy industry, amplifying Europe’s dependence.

Overall, the global markets have been stunningly volatile but remarkably resilient.

The equity markets were already weak prior to the conflict and recent events have accelerated that weakness. Nonetheless, the markets seem to be concluding this conflict will be short and contained.

The net effect will bring modestly slower global economic growth and higher inflation. Oil prices are trading well over $100 per barrel and will lead to higher inflation in the short-term. Concerning, but not catastrophic.

Indeed, slower global economic growth may come with a surprising, unintended consequence. Slower growth could slow the pace of inflation, reducing the need for the Federal Reserve Bank to aggressively raise interest rates. In fact, interest rates have declined since the start of the conflict.

The yield of the 10-year Treasury note has declined from nearly 2 percent to 1.80 percent since the onset of the conflict. The futures market for Fed Funds has removed the prospect of 50 basis point rate hike in March.

While expectations still call for the first rate hike in March, this situation gives the Federal Reserve an excuse to take a slower approach to monetary policy changes.

It is too early to assess the duration and long-term impact of the Russian-Ukraine situation. Given the history of market reaction to military interventions and the current circumstances, it is likely that global economic growth will slow, but not plummet.

Inflation will remain more persistent, if not accelerate in the near-term. However, it is likely to ease in the long-run but remain well above the Fed’s target level of 2 percent.

Market volatility will reign as emotions Continued On Page 15

Business Report Women May Need Financial ‘Catch-Up’

BY JOHN GABLE It’s unfortunate but true: If you’re a woman, you face more obstacles than men in achieving financial security. And that means you may well need to put in some extra effort.

Just how serious is your challenge? For one thing, women still face a gender pay gap – based on median incomes, women earn about 82 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to the Census Bureau.

This pay gap amounts to a nearly $470,000 difference in lifetime earnings, according to an Edward Jones/Age Wave study. Furthermore, when factoring in the career disruptions women face because of caring for children and elderly parents, that $470,000 becomes a $1.1 million lifetime earnings gap, according to the study. Finally, women tend to live longer than men, meaning their lifetime earnings must last longer.

Everyone’s situation is different, but these figures at least point to the challenges many women encounter. To help yourself, consider these moves: • Pay yourself first. You always have to pay your bills – but, at the same time, pay yourself by moving money automatically from your checking account each month into a low-risk, liquid vehicle, such as a money market account or some type of cash management account connected with your investment portfolio. This move can help give you a “bucket” of money to use for any reason, such as the need to step away from your job to care for children or aging parents.

• Increase your 401(k) contributions each year. If you have a 401(k) or similar employersponsored retirement plan, take full advantage of it. At a minimum, contribute enough to earn your employer’s match, if one is offered, and increase your contributions every year, or every time your salary increases.

• Fully fund your IRA. Even if you contribute to a 401(k), you may still be eligible to invest in an IRA—and you should. You can put in up to $6,000 per year to a traditional or Roth IRA, or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older. (However, a Roth IRA does have income limitations that may prevent you from contributing the full

John Gable is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Financial in Warrensburg. amount.)

• Learn about Social Security options.

Because Social Security provides a lifetime income stream that includes cost-of-living increases, it can help mitigate two key risks you face in retirement: longer life expectancies and inflation.

You can start taking Social Security as early as age 62, but your monthly checks will be significantly larger if you wait until your “full” retirement age, which will likely be between 66 and 67. If you delay taking benefits beyond your full retirement age, your payments will increase by 8 percent per year, until age 70, when your benefits max out. You’ll also want to learn about spousal and survivor benefits, which can affect how much you’ll receive.

• Get some help. You may be able to benefit from working with a financial professional, who can evaluate your situation, make investment recommendations, and help answer questions you may have, such as, “What moves can I make so I can afford to become a caregiver for an elderly parent?”

Hopefully, there will be a day when women won’t have to play financial catch-up. For now, though, use all the means at your disposal to help yourself.

Jennifer Vucetic Continued From Page 2

“Jennifer is a valuable member of our team and we offer our warmest congratulations on this appointment,” said Amanda LaForte, office administrator and Realtor of EXIT Realty Empire Associates.

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EXIT Realty Empire Associates is located at 805 Route 146, Clifton Park. For more information, call 833-518-3948 or visit www.exitrealtyempireassociates.com.

PROUDLY REPRESENTING THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BUSINESS COMMUNITY Washington County Local Development Corporation County Municipal Center 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 518-746-2292 • info@wcldc.org

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investment and expansion.

This will be an area of intense work for the coming year for not only the EDC but for all who have an interest in filling the thousands of open positions in the local economy.

We need to help our entire region invest their economic development efforts around ideas and businesses that build on our unique assets and will not be at odds with the realities of an economy that is largely in the Adirondack Park. These ideas helped fuel a recent effort by the timber and paper industries who invested in reducing the carbon footprint of the existing entities while developing regional applications for fiber that would reduce plastics and shorten carbon intense supply chains.

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Continued From Page 10 local, state and federal levels so they can be helpful in bringing costs under control or develop programs to lessen the load on the businesses. This process is important not only in 2022, but imperative for continued growth!

Our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) efforts continued throughout this pandemic.

Even though we haven’t seen many prospects in-person due to travel restrictions, we have progressed our marketing efforts to consistently position the Saratoga County region for opportunities that complement our existing businesses. Ireland continues to be one of the top 10 countries investing in the USA. Our plans for 2022 continue as we bring a dozen or so Ireland based companies here for a FAM Tour (Familiarization Tour) of Saratoga County and the Capital Region in partnership with TradeBright. The companies chosen for the delegation have been through an intense vetting process to make sure their financial position and growth needs fit what SEDC is looking for in new prospects.

We seek companies to complement our existing diverse industry base of Saratoga County. Our target markets for these FDI prospects mirror ones we have been promoting in the last four to five years: advanced materials manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, life sciences and equine. Our partnership with the Irish Ambassador and his embassy team continues to flourish. Some 80

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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.

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Doc’s Restaurant

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

Park 26

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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.

Fresh Water Institute and the Jefferson Project on Lake George. Imagine the future with a thriving ecosystem that can show the region, country and world how to implement fresh water preservation practices birthed here.

We all know now that we must find ways to accept and adapt to the major shifts the last few years have exposed in our communities and regional economy. The EDC is digging in with its weekly forums, regular community engagement events and intense focus on the new challenges of professional relocation, placemaking, housing development and broadband advocacy along with traditional business support.

We believe we can manage this period of transformation together and look forward to partnering with all who are ready to join us in stepping in to the Economy of Now.

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 Log Jam Restaurant

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percent of businesses expanding into the U.S. from Ireland are vetted through the embassy.

These opportunities not only bring complementary industries; they support our professional service providers and bring additional opportunities to support the overall economic eco systems. Bright days are ahead for our FDI efforts.

SEDC’s commitment to coordinate productive partners has resulted in employable program launches. We are directly involved with CTE advisory committees, participatory in initiatives across industry sectors that bring awareness to opportunities with our existing businesses, connecting partners to provide training programs where gaps have been identified, etc. We are committed to supporting our workforce development and educational partners as they provide programs that mutually benefit our residents and industries.

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, SEDC is funded by stakeholders (including many Saratoga County and Capital Region businesses) as well as marketing funding from the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. SEDC stakeholders invest their financial support and share their knowledge making SEDC’s efforts to market Saratoga County so successful. These altruistic business leaders’ investment helps us to sustain and grow the economy of Saratoga County knowing they, and many others, will be benefactors in the dynamic economy as well.

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

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Birch Bark Eatery

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Raul’s Mexican Grill

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022 • 15

Available Commercial & Residential Properties

War In The Ukraine

Staying The Course Continued From Page 13

swing with the headlines. Most importantly, the prospect of an economic recession in the United States is small.

From an investment perspective, recent market volatility demonstrates the need for a long-term strategy that doesn’t waver in times like these. Whenever the markets experience strong equity returns—like we’ve had the last 2 years—it’s tempting to give in to chasing easy money in hot areas of the market. While a long-term strategy with proper diversification can be viewed as “old school” and a drag on performance, the Russian-Ukraine confl ict

provides yet another example of how swift and sudden events can disrupt the latest trends.

As I’ve already noted, investors have been rewarded for sticking with forward-looking, steady investment plans during times of military interventions. So, even after the weak start to 2022, the recent geopolitical turbulence, and the S&P 500 index -8.70 percent decline (as of March 2), there is reason to be concerned but not panicked. Instead, stay patient, stay invested, and turn any desire for action toward a more humanitarian response.

G N ST I LI

rapidly changing world economy, and having that be sustainable.”

Similar to labor issues, the COVID-19 pandemic also triggered widespread supply chain problems. Th is greatly impacted the building and trades industry as contractors haven’t bee able to obtain the materials needed to complete construction jobs, or in many cases these goods have only been available at much higher prices.

“The supply chain isn’t affecting any one product or industry, it’s across the board for a variety of reasons,” Oswald said. “Th ings typically coming from Canada aren’t getting here. Some of it is a change in manufacturing capacity, and there’s a huge shortage of CDL drivers across the country.”

Locally, specialized manufacturers such as medical device fi rms have been affected, Siplon said.

“Even with papermakers like Finch. It’s not so much that their stock of timber has been affected. Sometimes its the supply of chemicals used in their process, or specialized components they can’t get replacement parts for.”

Hostilities in the Ukraine could exacerbate global supply chain issues, he said.

“Components and raw ingredients come from all over. Any time world events like this occur it’s going to cause disruption in those routes, total mounts of supply and transport. There’s no doubt we will have impact. I’m certain they will begin to emerge.”

While there’s no immediate solution, fi rms should be taking long-term steps to shorten supply chains by providing goods and services for markets closer to home, officials said.

“For example, how do we shorten the path between timber in the Adirondacks and a need for products in New York City closer and tighter? That’s something we’ll be working on for years to come,” Siplon said.

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

EW

opportunities to fi ll the jobs that are open everywhere.”

Both she and Siplon said lack of adequate, affordable housing is one of the biggest reasons for labor shortages locally.

“We have very few rentals in Washington County,” Oswald said. “It’s mostly singlefamily homes and a lot of that is old. There’s a need to increase the capacity for nonsubstandard rental properties.”

“Last summer, in all of Warren County, there were less than 50 homes under $500,000 for sale and less than 250 available apartments,” Siplon said. “Meanwhile, at that same time, we had 2,000 open jobs. Glens Falls Hospital alone had hundreds of jobs available.”

“It makes no sense to try to attract new business when we can’t staff the ones we have,” he said. “We have to figure out how to win in the battle for talent, make sure we retain the workforce we have and that we’re able to at least incrementally, even if it’s only modestly, add to our workforce here. The good news is that people want to be here, they’re attracted to the quality of life, and we don’t need 10,000 of them.”

Warren County EDC recently moved from the Travelers Insurance Co. building to the Empire Theater on South Street in Glens Falls, which is better equipped to host virtual and in-person meetings designed to support local businesses. Groups focused on specific issues, such as economic recovery, broadband and housing have been meeting weekly, Siplon said.

“We have to help existing businesses and help them transition to more sustainable business models,” he said. “It’s not just how do we weather the next six weeks or six months, but how do we take the next number of years to position ourselves effectively so that we can play the role we’re destined to play in a very

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1986 Crawford Road, Rotterdam $995,000 This gorgeous barn was moved from Fonda and reimagined in 2011. 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. A gorgeous two-sided fireplace adorned with slate shingles from the original barn roof is just one of many unique features. 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.

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

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16 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • MARCH 2022

Hilltop Construction, Busy And Growing, Will Build New Office Space Near Airport

From left, Tom Albrecht Jr., April Washburn, Dan Washburn are the new mnagement team at Hilltop Construction, which is going to build offices on 3.6 acres of land at Airport Industrial Park.

BY PAUL POST Hilltop Construction Co. epitomizes the phrase, “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.”

The Hudson Falls firm, handling commercial and residential projects since 1975, is growing fast and recently purchased 3.6 acres at Airport Industrial Park on which to build a new 10,000-square-foot base of operations.

The site is on Casey Road, just east of Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport.

“In the last year we’ve gone from about two dozen to more than 30 workers,” co-owner Dan Washburn said. “We don’t really advertise for work. It’s word of mouth. It’s growing by leaps and bounds.”

The firm currently does business from the Crowley Road property owned by company founders Cindy and Tom Albrecht Sr. Last Oct. 1, ownership transitioned to the second generation—Washburn; his wife, April (the Albrechts’ daughter); and Tom Albrecht Jr. Warren-Washington Industrial Development Agency recently agreed to sell two vacant Industrial Park lots to Hilltop Construction for $40,500.

Plans call for starting site work this fall and moving into the new headquarters next summer. The building will have 3,500 square feet of office space with the rest will be used for warehousing and storage.

Hilltop currently employs four office workers and plans to add more, Washburn said.

“We’re hiring laborers all the time,” he said. “Help is hard to find, but the help we do get is qualified. We’re being selective. It’s not necessarily all about experience. If they’ve got the right character we’re willing to train and invest in them to give them a career. Just because someone’s got 10 years’ experience doesn’t make them a great candidate if they don’t have the right attitude.”

General laborers start at $17-$18 per hour.

Hilltop previously did a great deal of work building branch offices for Glens Falls National Bank and Saratoga National Bank along with facilities for Hudson Headwaters Health Network. For the past 10 years, it’s also worked on many Stewart’s Shops buildings, and was awarded six contracts this year alone.

“With Stewart’s we’ve traveled as far as Syracuse and up to Watertown,” Washburn said. “This year we’re working on a 9,000-square-foot building in Rotterdam and a new shop in Ausable Forks.”

In the Glens Falls market, Hilltop is nearing completion of a new Stewart’s Shop on Broad Street, while putting finishing touches on a remodel near the intersection of Dix Avenue and Quaker Road in Queensbury.

This type of work has led to projects building gas stations for other clients as well, from

Creation Of A Vertical Farm Continued From Page 10

is the electrical infrastructure which needs to be updated pretty substantially. We hope to commence operations on April 1, which would mean we would have our fi rst produce six weeks later.”

The vertical garden takes up about 480 square feet of the 2000-square-foot third floor. It will be used to grow a variety of greens, lettuces, and herbs.

“The pilot is pretty small, so it’s not like we will have lots of variety,” said Flagg. “Once the pilot is over, we will probably build another larger box in the space once the commercial viability is demonstrated. The premise of this is to turn it into a viable commercial venture that can be replicated and scaled.”

One of the goals of the pilot program is to ensure that the vertical garden is complementing, not competing with, local farmers.

“The idea is not to directly run into competition but to perhaps address some of the supply chain issues and climate issues ... We have been in contact with some of the local restaurants, and down the road, we might look into donating to food banks,” he said.

SUNY Oneonta graduate Josh Fabian has vertical farming experience and was hired to oversee growing operations.

Flagg believes there is something unique

about the pilot program in Glens Falls.

“You are helping deal with the climate issue, alleviating some of the COVID supply chain problems, and providing local smallscale entrepreneurial jobs,” he said.

“The premise is that if you can do this in the space that we are using—which is a thirdfloor walkup with no elevator—you can do it in any of these New York state towns that have beautiful downtown buildings that are in many cases hard to renovate economically, buy you don’t want to rip them down.”

The pilot program is designed to demonstrate whether vertical gardens are economically viable while identifying potential stumbling blocks.

“What will come from this will be hopefully a how-to guide—an off-the shelf model that an entrepreneur can use to go and build these around upstate New York,” said Flagg. “I think the real question is how economically can this be done and what kind of support can you get?”

What will happen to the vertical garden after completion of the pilot program is unknown.

“The city isn’t going to be in the farming business,” said Flagg. “What we have to do is figure out a way to transition this from a state-funded municipal project to selfsupported commercial enterprise.”

Gloversville to Fort Ann. And Hilltop keeps diversifying as it grows.

Washburn mostly deals with commercial accounts while Albrecht Jr. focuses on the residential side of things, quite often getting jobs by having good relationships with area architects.

We’ve gotten into doing more custom homes at places such as Brant Lake, Schroon Lake and Glen Lake. We recently signed two new custom homes on Lake George, one on Cotton point and one in Cleverdale.” Washburn said. “It’s a lot second homes and there are some relocations, where people are getting to retirement age and moving up here from the city. We’re getting a lot of phone calls from people looking to get work done.”

In addition to new construction, Hilltop does residential and commercial renovations and additions. “We’ve been moving into the car dealership sector,” Washburn said. “We’re doing quite a large renovation right now for Greenwich Ford’s new owners.”

Clients also include the likes of Garvey Hyundai and Nemer Dodge, where Hilltop

built a new service bay.

Work briefly came to a complete halt at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hilltop then began picking up projects that were considered “essential,” such as gas stations and a job for Brummers Unlimited Trailer Sales on Route 4 in Kingsbury.

“We had trouble getting materials and the cost of materials escalated during COVID,” Washburn said. “That was a huge problem. But we were fortunate that we were able to keep working with most of our crew.”

Hilltop’s growth includes its recent expansion into another market, doing various types of steel construction projects using material furnished by Kirby Steel Inc., a Tennessee-based distributor.

The job at Brummers led to a similar project for an adjacent Route 4 business, Better Than New Painting. Hilltop is currently doing a large steel project for Champlain Beef on Route 4 in Whitehall.

“So it just keeps going,” Washburn said.

“People see us doing work on buildings and reach out to us.”