PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
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GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
VOL. 32 NO. 02
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
APRIL 2020
Area Chambers Of Commerce Are Conduits Ames Goldsmith Making, Donating Sanitizer For Businesses To Get COVID-19 Information To Glens Falls Hospital, Open Door Mission BY CHRISTINE GRAF Local chambers of commerce are scrambling to provide support to their members during this unprecedented time of financial uncertainly. They have become information clearinghouses and are disseminating updated information related to COVID-19 as quickly as possible. According to Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gina Mintzer, she is receiving as many as 150 emails a day on the subject. “The information is coming in so fast. I get information from the county, state, federal government, and governor’s office,” she said. “We are trying to keep abreast of all of that information that’s being thrown out there by government agencies to benefit those who need it the most. We are distilling that information and getting it out there through e-blasts and our social media platform.” Michael Bittell, president of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce, is doing the same for his 778 members. “We are being very aggressive in working with our elected officials at every level— county, state, and federal—and making sure that our businesses are heard. In turn, we are also getting information out several times a day on state mandates and executive orders as well as federal programs,” he said. “We’re very stringent on what we send out. We research it. We verify it, and then we send it out. There’s just so much information.” Much of this information concerns the payroll protection program (PPP). The $349 billion PPP is part of the governments $2.2 trillion stimulus relief package. Bittell and Mintzer have done their best to break down
the 883-page bill into what Mintzer described as “everyman language.” “To understand the nuances and how that would benefit our business partners was arduous,” she said. “You have to look at all of the sources of information to see who explains it the best.” The PPP makes loans available to small businesses through Small Business Administration-approved lenders. Borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness of qualifying expenses such as payroll costs and rent during the first eight-weeks after loans are received. Bittell has received many questions from his members about the program. In addition to answering these questions by phone and email, he also conducts teleconferences that include time for question and answer. For example, he recently conducted a live teleconference with the Town of Johnsburg. Both town supervisors as well as 16 business owners participated. Bittell addressed issues related to PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (EIDL). EIDL’s, economic relief loans of up to $10,000, are being provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualifying business owners will not be required to repay advances on those loans. PPP loans can only be obtained through banks that have been designated as certified lenders by the SBA. Bittell has asked his members to be patient with the local banks that are participating in the program. They are overwhelmed by the unprecedented demand for these loans, and the SBA’s E-Tran Continued On Page 3
Ames Goldsmith Corp., a South Glens Fallsbased manufacturer, has begun producing hand sanitizer for complimentary distribution to area nonprofits during the COVID-19 crisis. The company makes silver salts and advanced silver and copper powders and flakes for electronics, healthcare technology and other uses. It has temporarily converted a portion of the manufacturing capacity at its Harrison Avenue, plant to the production of the alcohol-based sanitizer. It began distributing the sanitizer to Glens Falls Hospital and the Open Door Mission in Glens Falls. Other area nonprofits may be added to the distribution list in the future depending on production capacity, company officials said. “Our community has a need. We have the capacity and capability. It was a pretty easy decision to make for a company that’s been part of this regional community since 1860,” said Ames Goldsmith President and CEO Frank Barber. Between its South Glens Falls headquarters and manufacturing plant, and its manufacturing plant in Glens Falls, Ames Goldsmith employs approximately 90 people. The company also has plants in New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia, along with international facilities in England, Scotland, Taiwan and Japan, bringing its total employment to more than 350. “Ames Goldsmith has extensive experience working with alcohol products in our manufacturing processes, as well as manufacturing products to FDA guidelines for the healthcare industry. We have the scale to produce meaningful amounts of sanitizer quickly and safely,” Barber said. “We discussed the need with the hospital and Open Door and when they responded so enthusiastically, it was full speed ahead.” Barber credited New York plant manager Mike
Workers at Ames Goldsmith in South Glens Falls fill containers of hand sanitizer. Courtesy Ames Goldsmith
Forcier for the idea, and said he and Mike Herman, vice president of global quality systems, have led the production effort. “I could not be happier with how these two individuals have stepped up to meet the needs of our communities,” Barber said. Forcier is a co-owner of Springbook Hollow Farm Distillery in Queensbury, which has also been producing its own line of sanitizer. Ames Goldsmith is purchasing all of the raw materials needed for the sanitizer specifically for this purpose and mixing them utilizing spare process tanks and mixing technology present at the Harrison Avenue plant. The company’s Continued On Page 7
Much Of The Construction Industry At A As Restaurants Close Around The State, Local Standstill Amid Struggle With Pandemic Eateries Transition To Take-Out, Delivery BY SUSAN E. CAMPBELL Coming out of winter, construction companies were getting ready for building and renovation activity that accelerates with warmer weather. But the coronavirus pandemic has changed things. The state has ordered non-essential projects be put on hold until further notice. The governor’s order also calls for one person at a tome on a work site. “It is a challenge to keep a safe distance on a job site, which is why the governor put a stop to it,” said Thomas Albrecht Sr., CEO of Hilltop Construction Co. in Hudson Falls. “Only one guy on a site is keeping things going,” said Albrecht. “So my cup is half full.” Albrecht continued to pay all staff until April 2, when they became eligible for unemployment compensation. Some have been with the company 20 years and he expects “100 percent of them to return. Their jobs will be there,” he said. “We compensate well and promote a good environment to work in,” Albrecht said. He is “saddened” by the developments. Even if more workers at a site were possible, Albrecht said his company and others would still be “getting inundated with materials delays.” “The supply chain can be disruptive,” said Doug Ford, vice president in charge of sales and purchasing at Curtis Lumber Co. “Some truckers from Canada are not comfortable coming into the States,” said Ford. “Manufacturing of all kinds was shut down in Pennsylvania and that has had an impact.” Many such operations in Pennsylvania “were since deemed essential and are coming back,” he said. Like the other administrative positions at Curtis
Lehigh Cement Co. is temporarily laying off 50 of its 90 local employees. Courtesy Lehigh Cement Co.
Lumber, Ford has been working from home. This the first time he has done so in 25 years with the company, he said. The inside of Curtis shops are closed to all customers, but pick-up is available. “About half the staff are on site in our stores, including materials handlers and front-line staff,” he said. “We have had no layoffs.” At the headquarters in Ballston Spa, where Ford and about 200 other administrative personnel work Continued On Page 13
BY SUSAN E. CAMPBELL Restaurants in and around the North Country are handling the challenges of the coronavirus crisis with a sense of family, social responsibility, and grace as they continue to adjust to a different way of serving their customers and rethink what “business as usual” means to them. The option for restaurants is making takeout available for curbside pickup, or delivering. Some restaurants who were previously not involved in either practice are implementing them to stay afloat. New York state’s restaurant industry is among the most impacted, losing $1.9 billion and more than 250,000 jobs, according to a recent report by the National Restaurant Association. “Many restaurants have already closed and will never reopen, and restaurant employees are out of work, trying to figure out what’s next,” association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut said. Locally, there is still restaurant activity. The state mandate went into effect so abruptly that Tony Grecco, general manager at the The Log Jam Restaurant, said he was “shocked.” “I knew it would happen, but not all of a sudden,” said Grecco, who has been with The Log Jam on Route 9 in Lake George for 30 years. “One weekend we are doing business and then Monday morning it was announced that we would be closing at 8 that evening.” Grecco’s first concern, he said, was his
The Log Jam Restaurant is one of the local eateries still open, serving takeout meals. Courtesy Log Jam Restaurant
employees and how they would survive. He has a staff of 90, full-time and part-time, and on a busy Saturday as many as 50 are on site. A core crew has been with him ever since the shutdown, including four in the kitchen. “Thankfully, with unemployment compensation, most are able to cope and pay their bills,” he said. “There are other provisions as well, such as the ability to postpone mortgage payments.” Continued On Page 14