Glens Falls Business Journal - June 2023

Yankee Marine Group Will Build A $3 Million Boat Storage Facility As Its Operations Grow

Adirondack Wine & Food Festival Scheduled For June 24-25 At Wood Festival Commons

Yankee Marine Group has approval from the town of Lake George and the Adirondack Park Agency to construct three 11,000-square-foot buildings on property near this Diamond Point site.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

Yankee Marine Group was awarded a 10year $250,000 tax incentive package for the company’s plan to build a $3 million boat storage facility in Lake George.

The Warren and Washington IDA approved the financial assistance package in May.

The storage facility will be built on a 9-acre parcel of land located at 2217 Route 9N. The property is south of his marina and retail center on Lake Shore Drive in

Yankee Marine Group has already received approval from the town of Lake George Planning Board and the Adirondack Park Agency to construct up to three 11,000-square-foot buildings on the property. Each building will have storage capacity for 80 boats.

A second generation family owned business, Yankee Marine Group is owned by Andrew Brodie and his wife, Christina.

Continued On Page 13

David S. DeMarco Is Named The New CEO And President At Arrow Financial Corp.

Arrow Financial Corp.—the parent company of Saratoga National Bank and Glens Falls National Bank—announced that David S. DeMarco is the president and chief executive officer of the company.

DeMarco was chief banking officer and senior executive vice president at the company.

He replaces Thomas J. Murphy, who in May terminated his employment as president and CEO with Arrow.

The changes were made May 12.

DeMarco, who has been with the company for 35 years, continues to serve as president and chief executive officer of Arrow subsidiary Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

DeMarco joined the company in 1987 as a commercial lender and since that time has served in positions of increasing responsibility with the organization. He was named president and CEO of Saratoga National Bank in 2012.

“We are very pleased that Dave has agreed to serve as president and CEO of Arrow and Glens Falls National Bank. Dave has dedicated his career to the company, understands community banking and he is well-known throughout our organization and the communities we serve,” said William L. Owens, chairman of the Arrow board.

“It is an honor to be asked to serve as president and CEO of Arrow,” DeMarco said. “I look forward to working closely with our team to continue to serve our customers and advance our strategic and financial goals.”

Arrow Director Thomas L. Hoy, who recently retired as board chair and served as president and CEO of Arrow from 1995 to 2012, said DeMarco

“is extremely knowledgeable about the operation of our banks and the needs of our customers.

He has been instrumental in the growth of our organization over his many years of service.”

Arrow Financial Corp. is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Glens Falls, serving the financial needs of northeastern New York.

In addition to being the parent of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co., other subsidiaries include North Country Investment Advisers Inc. See page 10 for Interview with DeMarco

Now in its seventh year, the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival anticipates some 7,800 attendees, officials say. The 2022 Festival had over 6,800 guests. Courtesy

The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival returns to Lake George on Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25 at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George Village.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The festival will feature more than 120 New York wineries, distilleries, breweries, cideries, artisan food producers, food trucks, crafters, and more. The family-friendly event has drawn draws visitors from 36 states, according to organizers.

Now in its seventh year, the festival anticipates

some 7,800 attendees this year. The 2022 Festival had over 6,800 guests, with 81 percent saying they planned a trip to the Lake George area specifically to attend the festival, officials said.

The festival is expected to generate 12,000plus overnight stays in the area and produce an economic impact of just under $5 million on the region.

This year, the festival is expanding into the adjacent Betty Little Boulevard, launching a “Food Truck Alley,” with 15 food trucks and several

Continued On Page ??

EDC Warren County Names Patricia Hartle As Economic Development Coordinator

Patricia Hartle has been appointed economic development coordinator for EDC Warren County.

“Tricia is a wonderful addition to our EDC team,” EDC President Jim Siplon said.

“Her remarkable economic development experience and professional network add depth to our group and her vibrant, positive approach have already made us better,” the EDC president said.

Hartle has experience in both the state government and economic development sectors.

“One of the greatest highlights of my career was being instrumental in the creation of the consolidated funding application in New York state, as well as creating several economic incentive programs over my years,” Hartle said.

“My goal in this role is to advance the mission that we have concerted and coordinated efforts county wide, as well as regionally, to effectively assist businesses in advancing their goals,” she said.

Through her extensive experience working at the State Capitol and the Empire State Development Corp.’s START-UP NY program, Hartle brings a wealth of intimate knowledge and skills surrounding economic growth and sustainability to the Warren County community and the region.

In her free time, Hartle enjoys quality family time on Long Lake in the Adirondacks with her children, grandchildren and extended family.

EDC is a public-private nonprofit partnership focused on driving private-sector

business investment in Warren County. EDC works collaboratively with economic development agencies and related organizations and seeks input often from local municipalities to capitalize on business opportunities for the region.

Established in 1992, EDC has delivered assistance to businesses responsible for impacting over 5,000 jobs and more than $480 million in new investments across Warren County.

Diamond Point.

Patricia Hartle, economic development coordinator for EDC Warren County.

Courtesy EDC Warren County

Courtesy Yankee Marine Group

Adirondack Wine & Food Fest

David S. DeMarco is the new CEO and president at Arrow Financial Corp. Courtesy Arrow Financial Corp.

Personnel Briefs

StoredTech in Queensbury has made three changes to its management team.

Tom Caramella was promoted to vice president of finance and Katie Roeder was promoted to vice president of operations.

StoredTech also appointed Kimberly Frustere to vice president of sales.

Caramella joined StoredTech in December 2022 as finance manager.

In his new role, he will be responsible for the entire accounting department consisting of five team members. He will help continue driving StoredTech’s growth while maximizing profits.

Beginning as vice president of finance in June 2021, Roeder played a role in beginning to automate financial and reporting systems and assisted in measures that helped drive overall growth by 19 percent while increasing the bottom line by 86 percent in 2022.

She will play a crucial role in standardizing policies and procedures across the entire organization. She will help ensure the development and implementation of efficient and cost-effective processes, both internal and external.

Frustere will lead and oversee sales teams in the company’s corporate headquarters in Queensbury and offices in Raleigh, N.C.

Before joining StoredTech, Frustere was vice president of sales for iHeartMedia in Latham. She brings over 30 years of experience building and leading successful sales teams that delivered revenue growth by fostering a culture of accountability, commitment, a focus on customer satisfaction, and shared success. She managed and oversaw all advertising sales activities and lead a sales team for iHeartMedia’s Albany market.

She also spent nine years as general sales manager at Media One Group in Jefferson, Ohio. She held various executive management positions during her 15-year career working in the newspaper industry, including nine years as director of advertising at The Saratogian in Saratoga Springs.

Adirondack Aromatherapy At Aviation Mall

Sells Oils Sourced From Some 40 Countries

Empire State University announced that Kathleen Roberts accepted the assistant vice president for human resources position based in Saratoga Springs.

Roberts will be responsible for the strategic and collaborative leadership of the Department of Human Resources, including recruitment, employment, compensation, benefits, employee labor relations, policy implementation, staff training and development. She will develop and direct the strategic planning and long-range goals for the Office of Human Resources and will contribute to the institution’s organizational strategic planning goals.

Roberts will lead with integrity and embrace a culture that promotes the highest level of professional and ethical standards, in addition to partnering with the chief diversity officer to foster a climate of diversity, inclusiveness, and respect.

She currently works as a lead consultant for change and justice where she delivers intercultural education and advises equity consultant groups on frameworks and assessments for cultural change.

Roberts holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and a Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University.

* * *

cb20 Inc., Saratoga Springs, announced that Matthew Authier has joined the organization as the MSP sales executive.

He will be the frontline client interface of the company, and will be responsible for managed services business development.

After graduating from Merrimack College, Authier completed his MBA from Norwich University with a concentration in organizational behavior.

Authier has been active in the technology solutions channel for four years, previously managed sales operations centers in the LP industry throughout the northeast, and a successful seal business owner.

BY JILL NAGY

After an 18-month hiatus, Tom and Gretchen Morganstern’s Adirondack Aromatherapy is back in business at a new location. They recently opened a boutique in Aviation Mall in Queensbury.

The shop was previously in the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls.

Like so many other businesses, they closed down during the pandemic and, except for a kiosk at the mall last holiday season, they did business online from their home until two months ago.

Adirondack Aromatherapy sells natural aromatic oils sourced from some 40 countries. Most aromatics are not native to the Adirondack region, Gretchen explained, and if they do grow there, they have a very short growing season. One exception is roses. She makes rosewater when the roses bloom in her garden.

The shop features an “aroma bar,” an array of bottles of essential oils. Customers can sniff and choose what they like or have Morganstern mix an elixir for them. They can then diffuse the aroma in many ways: as spray, soap, roll-on, perfume, etc.

She said she works exclusively with natural scents and claims that the right scent can heal the mind, body, and spirit.

“We do all the traditional stuff, too,” Morganstern added. They sell familiar oils and basic blends, and some special purpose blends, such as insect repellents and scents designed to keep mice away. A collection of books and workbooks is also offered.

In the back of the space is Tom Morganstern’s workshop.

“I just make pretty soap,” he said.

He has been doing it, first as a hobby and then as a business, since 1996. Gretchen noted that Tom was featured in a book called “The Art of Soap” and also included in a giftbuying guide, “Time Out New York.” Both

brought in “tons of orders” from many from people who had never ordered online before and had to be guided through the process.

In addition to the retail sales section in front, the shop has space for classes and workshops, and personal healing sessions. Gretchen emphasized that she will provide information and conduct workshops, but not provide formal training or certification.

The wholesale side of the business produces custom oils and products for other small businesses, including a bed and breakfast establishment for which, Gretchen said, she creates hundreds of specialty oils every year.

“I love collaborating with other business owners. It is one of my favorite aspects of what we do,” she said.

Gretchen traces her immersion in the herbal world to the 1990s. She took courses in traditional aromatherapy and in more specialized arts like spiritual and sacred oils. For a time, she contributed to a local newspaper’s “alternative awareness” column.

Tom worked for a soap company for a time. The company used synthetic oils and, he found, they gave him headaches.

He said “there is a lot of science out there,” distinguishing between natural and synthetic fragrances. Today, it is all natural. “I like the smell. It makes me happy,” he noted.

Both business owners had other careers before opening Adirondack Aromatherapy. Tom was a carpenter for a little over a decade. Gretchen worked in early childhood special education.

The boutique is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. In addition, they will be scheduling special events.

The shop can reached by telephone at 518860-5102 or online at ADKaromatherapy. com.

Gretchen Morganstern prepares an oil at Adirondack Aromatherapy, the shop in the Aviation Mall that she owns and operates with her husband Tom.

Courtesy Adirondack Aromatherapy

Theatrical Company ‘All Abilities Production,’ Offers Inclusive Programs At Aviation Mall

Owner Of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center Named Proprietor Of Year By National Group

All Abilities Productions, an all-inclusive theatrical company, is a new business across from Peter Harris in Aviation Mall, Queensbury.

All Abilities Productions works with other nonprofit organizations to provide educational programs, such as all-inclusive dance programs, playwriting classes, improv acting classes, art therapy and more.

The company will also offer concerts and theatrical productions for people to showcase their talents.

Andy O’Rourke, owner of All Abilities Productions, said he started the company so that people like himself would have the opportunity to do something they enjoy without restrictions. O’Rourke had a stroke in-utero and was born with cerebral palsy.

He found his passion for theater and the creative arts while in high school. As he pursued his passion after high school, he found that the theatrical arts in this area were not typically all-inclusive, he said. That propelled him to create All Abilities Productions in 2022.

All Abilities Productions was created to

foster growth for people of all abilities on stage and off stage. The company’s motto states, “where inclusivity and creativity meet.” Its mission is to form a community that includes and accepts people from all walks of life regardless of disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, and age.

“We are very excited to work with Andy and his team as they bring this all-inclusive theatrical company to Aviation Mall,” said James Griffith, general manager of Aviation Mall. “We are confident they will be extremely successful and supported by our community.”

There was a ribbon cutting event on June 3. In addition to prize drawings and refreshments, various community organizations presented informational displays outlining their services, including Southern Adirondack Independent Living (SAIL), the Warren County Office for the Aging, Maria College’s Occupational Therapy Department and Off The Track Occupational Therapy.

For more information, contact O’Rourke at andy@allabilitiesny.org or Carol Durant at carol@allabilitiesny.org.

The Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA) has named Doug Bohannon of Queensbury its 2023 National Proprietor of the Year.

Bohannon, along with his wife Alison, own Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls along with Kingpin’s Alley in Latham.

Bohannon is a native of Glens Falls and is a 1985 graduate of Glens Falls High School. He has been in the bowling business for the past 25 years.

In 2013 Doug and Alison purchased their first bowling center in South Glens Falls. Over the past 10 years, the center has been transformed from a traditional bowling alley into a modern family fun center.

Bohannon credits his success primarily to his previous employer, Bowl New England, from which both of his centers were purchased.

“Having worked for one of the industry leaders for 13 years prepared me for what owning my own center would be like”, Bohannon said. “The knowledge and insight that I gained during my time with

Bowl New England has been invaluable in growing a successful business.”

Bohannon is no stranger to award recognition as his South Glens Falls business was awarded the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2018. Also, in 2018 he was named the New York State Bowling Proprietor of the Year.

During his tenure with Bowl New England he won the 2011 Employee Of The Year, selected from within a company of 700-plus employees. Bohannon is an accomplished bowler as well. He is a member of the Adirondack USBC Hall Of Fame.

He serves on a number of bowling related boards, including the national BPAA board of directors, the New York State USBC board of directors and the Adirondack USBC board of directors. Bohannon will be presented his award by the BPAA at Bowl Expo on June 27 at the Rosen Center in Orlando, Fla.

Doug Bohannon, who with his wife Alison owns Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center, was named the Bowling Proprietors Association of America’s 2023 National Proprietor of the Year.

All Abilities Productions staff poses at the Aviation Mall business where the group provides educational programs, playwriting classes, improv acting classes, art therapy and more. Courtesy Aviation Mall

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

2000 Business Of The Year

Adirondack Regional Chamber Of Commerce

9 Broad St. Glens Falls, NY 12803

(518) 581-0600 • Fax: (518) 430-3020 • www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com

Editorial: RJDeLuke@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com

Advertising: HarryW@glensfallsbusinessjournal.com

Glens Falls Hosts Group Of Japanese Tourists As Part Of 35-Year ‘Sister City’ Relationship

BY PAUL POST

Bamboo plants take years to get established, but shoots that finally emerge can grow 35 inches per day until soaring to almost 50 feet high within two months’ time. Queensbury Hotel partners Zach Moore and Tyler Herrick do business the same way, by planting seeds of success whose results might take several years to fully realize.

Publisher & Editor Harry

Weinhagen

Associate Editor R.J. DeLuke

Editor Emeritus Rod Bacon

Sales and Customer Service

Harry Weinhagen Mary Longley

Production Manager Graphic Precision

Contributing Writers Susan Campbell Jill Nagy

Christine Graf Andrea Harwood Paul Post

Glens Falls Business Journal is published monthly, the second week of each month, by Weinhagen Associates, LLC and mailed to business and professional people in Warren and Washington counties.

Glens Falls Business Journal is independently owned and is a registered tradename of Weinhagen Associates, LLC

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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.

“It’s kind of like that analogy,” Moore said. “You bring people here, they experience America from our town, then they go back. It creates little seeds that grow.”

Their hotel recently hosted a delegation of government, business and civic leaders from Saga City, Japan, as part of a 35-year “Sister City” relationship with the City of Glens Falls.

It began in 1988, two years after local hot air balloonists traveled to Japan for the Saga International Balloon Fiesta.

“An idea was proposed, a vision was seen, a relationship developed and a commitment was made to people, programs and ideas,” Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins said. “Our cities have many things in common. Both cities have similar industries, like paper mills, and our economies have experienced growth. Both cities have an appreciation for history as well as education. Both cities host high school sports tournaments, and of course, both cities are involved with balloon festivals.”

Connections between the two cities have produced long-lasting friendships, cultural awareness and educational opportunities. Such associations quite often lay the foundation for trade and creative new business ventures, also.

“You never can tell,” said Tim Drawbridge, city communications director. “You know how economic development goes. You see something in a different part of the U.S. and that idea comes home with you. Maybe it’s a new kind of shopping mall design or different ideas with food; transcending ideas back and forth.”

The same type of thing may result internationally.

During the Japanese group’s visit, Saga City Mayor Hidetaka Sakai was presented with an Adirondack chair. “Maybe somebody sees that, gets an idea and puts our spin on this over in Japan,” Drawbridge said.

A bus carrying the 19-person delegation pulled up to The Queensbury Hotel on a spring afternoon after traveling from New York where the group arrived at JFK International Airport. More than 100 people attended a dinner reception that evening to honor the Japanese guests, welcomed by Sister Cities Committee Chair Karen Pratt.

During their three-day stay, visitors met with city officials, toured Warren County Municipal Center and attended a county Board of Supervisors meeting.

Saga City is 23 miles from the ancient city of Fukuoka on the southern island of Kyushu. For parts of five decades, delegations from both cities have visited each other, although this was the first trip since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The vision you all created 35 years ago, your teamwork and due diligence has made it possible to reconvene and share this wonderful exchange of

culture and community,” Collins said.

Saga balloonists have taken part in the Adirondack Balloon Festival numerous times and are expected to participate in this year’s large 50th anniversary event. Some years, up to four separate trips have been made for student exchange programs involving local high schools and SUNY Adirondack.

“Students embrace one another,” Drawbridge said. “Students from Saga City come over and get to experience things like luge up in Lake Placid, or they’re out playing street hockey and basketball, anything you’d think a typical teenager would be doing in the city of Glens Falls.”

Young Japanese visitor Kotaro Nogami said he’d like to attend college in the U.S. for business management and astrophysics. “I’d like to study in those areas and invest in startup companies,” he said. “I love the origin of our relationships, coming from balloons. It’s a very interesting story.”

Ward 5 county Supervisor Ben Driscoll, of Glens Falls, said his family got involved with Saga City about 20 years ago when they sponsored an 11-year-old Japanese boy who came over for a week’s stay. The next year, Driscoll’s son, Sean, who now works for the Adirondack Thunder, stayed with a Japanese host family.

“A lot of local people have taken trips and vacations to that area. Other places in the U.S. have Sister City relationships with cities in Japan, too. I think it’s been the impetus for people to consider Japan and for the Japanese to consider us (for business opportunities), too,”he said.

Exchange coordinator Milly Koh served as translator throughout the delegation’s visit.

“This is really a miracle because there are no politics involved, it’s just people to people from other sides of the world, getting to know each other and each other’s cultures,” she said. “It’s so stimulating. Whatever they experience, they never forget.”

Tme to

A visitor to Glens Falls from Saga City, Japan, proudly displays his New York Yankees cap. Paul Post

FISH307.com Opens New Facility With Expanded Services In Lake George Space

FISH307.com celebrated in May the opening of its new location at 814 Goggins Road in Lake George.

“After 30 years of business and hard work, we are excited to announce our move to an expanded facility in our new location,” said owner Jeffrey Goldberg. “This newly renovated building houses our retail, office, and warehouse space: the FISH307 Fishing and Outdoor Superstore.” He said the new location is significant for FISH307.com as it allows the company to serve a larger customer base and expand their offerings. They now have space for retail operations, warehouses, and the School of Fish classroom. The expansion provides opportunities for growth and enhanced services to their clientele.

FISH307.com was originally founded in 1992 by Goldberg as Peace Pipe Bait & Tackle in Bolton Landing. As the business evolved and focused more on fishing tackle, they changed their name to Peace Pipe Fishing Outfitters.

In 1995, recognizing the potential of the internet, they entered the mail order business and rebranded as FISH307. They established their online presence with the domain FISH307.

com. Over the years, FISH307.com has grown from a local business to one with a worldwide footprint.

“The investment and experience to evolve FISH307 to what it is today is a tremendous case study of entrepreneurial skills. Jeff’s humble beginnings with the original Peace Pipe Bait & Tackle, early adoption of the internet and focus on sustainable growth are a road map for success,” said Gina Mintzer, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director.

“It is so exciting to see a locally owned business experience this kind of growth and success. We were happy to partner with the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce to celebrate Jeff and his team on their new location. We can’t wait to see what FISH307 will accomplish next,” said ARCC President and CEO Tricia Rogers.

Goldberg said the expansion and relocation of FISH307.com to their new facility signifies its commitment to providing excellent service and meeting the needs of their customers in the fishing and outdoor industry.

The company website is FISH307.com. Its phone is 518-798-9203

Olde Saratoga

Owner Of Northeastern Fine Jewelry

Coin In Saratoga Is Purchased By

The owner of Northeastern Fine Jewelry, a destination for fine jewelry for more than four decades, has purchased Olde Saratoga Coin and upgraded his new stores.

Olde Saratoga Coin has storefronts at 1593 Central Ave. in Colonie and 385 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

“Coins have always been one of my passions and how we got our start in business back in 1980,” said Ray Bleser, owner of Northeastern Fine Jewelry. “Our original store was Northeastern Coin Gallery in Schenectady. For me, returning to my roots is deeply nostalgic, intensely gratifying and truly exciting.”

In its heyday, Northeastern Coin Gallery carried an inventory of hard-to-find currency, jewelry and estate pieces. In 1985, the business was reincorporated as Northeastern Fine Jewelry, which has evolved into one of the Capital Region’s leading, independently owned jewelers, featuring an extensive selection of world-renowned brands, diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands, watches and estate items.

Northeastern Fine Jewelry will continue to operate under its own banner with three locations in Albany, Schenectady and Glens Falls, according to Bleser.

Olde Saratoga Coin & Jewelry has been rebranded and updated to reflect the addition of a wide selection of estate pieces and jewelry to supplement its expansive inventory of coins, precious metals, sterling silver, paper money, pocket watches and fine Swiss watches at its two locations, Bleser said.

In 2022, Olde Saratoga Coin & Jewelry in Colonie underwent extensive upgrades and renovations while its sister store in Saratoga Springs was relocated from 219 Broadway to an all-new storefront at 385 Broadway in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs.

Bleser said the enhanced storefronts offer an upgraded experience for guests to sell their precious metals, watches and estate jewelry for their highest market value, and to explore the substantial collection of gold, silver, silver dollars, coins, bullion, watches, diamonds and estate jewelry available for purchase.

The synergies between the two businesses also means that Northeastern Fine Jewelry is

able to feature an expanded estate jewelry collection while Olde Saratoga Coin & Jewelry can showcase a larger selection of jewelry.

Olde Saratoga Coin & Jewelry was founded in 1988, only three years after Bleser changed the focus and name of his original coin store to Northeastern Fine Jewelry. Nearly four decades later, Bleser has come full circle with the addition of two well-established Capital Region coin stores that, much like Northeastern Fine Jewelry, are known for quality, expertise, fair prices and an extensive selection of inventory.

“When we initially turned our focus to fine jewelry back in 1985 it was to meet the growing demand of the times. But my love for coins has never waned,” Bleser said. “Coin collecting will never go out of style, nor will buying or selling vintage and estate jewelry, gold and silver jewelry or diamonds and gemstones from any era.”

The three Northeastern Fine Jewelry locations are at 1575 Western Ave. in Albany; 1607 Union St. in Schenectady; 167 Glen St. in Glens Falls; and online at NEFJ.com.

Olde Saratoga Coin & Jewelry is online at www.oldesaratogacoinandjewelry.com.

Kathleen Emerson, FNP-BC Southern Adirondack Family Health-NP, PLLC Reads

Jeffrey Goldberg, owner of FISH307.com, is flanked by Gina Mintzer, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director, right, and ARCC President and CEO Tricia Rogers. Courtesy ARCC

The owner of Northeastern Fine Jewelry has purchased Olde Saratoga Coin.

©2023 Saratoga Photographer.com

Glens Falls Hospital CEO Says Hospital And Community Have Seen ‘Drastic Changes’

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL

Over his 33-year career at Glens Falls Hospital, Paul Scimeca, president and CEO since January 2022, has seen dramatic changes, both at the hospital and in the community.

These changes are shifting more of the hospital’s attention to the needs of seniors and to behavioral transformations among the population in general, according to Scimeca.

“The community we are privileged to care for is aging,” he said. “As people grow older and live longer, we need to focus on chronic disease in a way that continues to evolve with the population and mirrors the needs of the community.”

Within the past three years Glens Falls Hospital developed a state-designated Center of Excellence for Alzheimers Disease and received certification for its Stroke Center, he said. The demand for these health services follows the population curve.

“The C.R. Wood Cancer Center is one of the first projects I worked on when I came to the Hospital more than 30 years ago,” he said. “The center continues to grow as it becomes more successful in identifying, treating and helping individuals of all ages survive cancer.”

Chronic decease and mental health services are of equal priority to the hospital and are equally challenging, according to Scimeca.

“Emergency care has changed significantly over the years,” said Scimeca. “Some conditions have to be treated immediately, so care starts right in the emergency department.”

One of the current priorities, and a personal priority for Scimeca as well, is to renovate and expand the emergency department, since “it was not built for the kind of care that must be delivered today,” he said.

“The facility is currently constrained functionally by the design of the department,” Scimeca said. “The hospital is at the beginning stages of planning for both a slight expansion and a full renovation.”

Along with that, and related to it according to Scimeca, is a plan to grow the behavior health crisis unit at Glens Falls Hospital.

Scimeca said the Hospital is experiencing a greater need for behavior health services among the general population and that those needs have become more pronounced, especially because of the pandemic.

“That unit is full almost every day with adults and adolescents who need crisis care,” he said. “When the mental health unit is full, patients expand into the emergency department and that takes up space for other patients seeking crisis care.”

“We are figuring out the pieces, but most

Regional Medical Partnerships Provide Students Early Exposure To Patient Care

A new partnership between Albany Medical College and several regional health organizations provides a unique opportunity for medical students to gain early clinical exposure.

The Introductory Longitudinal Clerkship (ILC), part of the Medical College’s major curriculum modification, places first year medical students with primary care physicians throughout the community.

Since January, 145 medical students have attended regular half-day sessions with primary care physicians from Community Care Physicians, St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP), the Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany Med Health System members Columbia Memorial Health and Saratoga Hospital, as well as several private practices.

The ILC gives students the opportunity to work with the same physician preceptors as they provide care to their patients over time. Traditionally, medical students would not start clinical patient care training until the third year of medical school.

mutual benefit that such a strategic medical education partnership provides.

“Community Care Physicians has long been committed to educating the physicians and advanced care practitioners of the future both in our offices and in the Family Practice and Radiology Training programs we share with Albany Medical Center. We have been pleased to extend our collaboration to include the Longitudinal Clerkship,” said Dr. Ronald V. Musto, MPH, MBA, deputy CEO and internist, Community Care Physicians. “The looming physician shortage, particularly in the Capital Region, is well known. We encourage more practices to familiarize students early in their careers not only to the rewards of practicing medicine, but of practicing medicine in the Capital Region.”

likely there would be a small expansion adjacent to the hospital to increase our capacity,” he said.

“Soon we will apply to the state Department of Health for approval on this project.”

The full project would likely begin next year, he said, and the hospital has been working collaboratively with other mental health providers to simultaneously expand services throughout the region.

Speaking to the public perception of the hospital, Scimeca said, “We have a reputation for being here when people need us and sometimes don’t know where to turn. Certainly people have come to rely upon us for cancer care.”

“The C.R. Wood Cancer Center not only offers comprehensive care and education, but also allows people to participate in clinical trials right here in their own community,” said Scimeca.

He said he is “proud of what the hospital has been able to achieve. Not every hospital can do clinical trials.”

Glens Falls Hospital has been working in conjunction with University of Vermont in Burlington but within a year hopes to be recognized as a separate main site for cancer trials, according to Scimeca.

“Because of the breadth and comprehensiveness of our program, we can enroll people to access the trial here without the need for travel or inconvenience,” he said. “We will not need to be a sub-site of another organization.”

Once achieved, the hospital will be able to “expand the number of trials and bring more comprehensive care closer to the community,

“Such early longitudinal clinical experiences with positive physician role models have been shown to help students develop foundational clinical skills, self-confidence, empathy toward patients, and a sense of professional identity,” said Dr. Alan Boulos. “We’re grateful to our community partners who have so generously volunteered their time to help us educate the next generation of physicians.”

The early exposure to patient care has also been shown to promote student career interest in primary care fields such as family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics. This is of particular importance to area health organizations and the medical community as they try to meet the challenges of an ongoing shortage of primary care physicians, officials said.

The organizations participating recognize the

which is our goal,” said Scimeca.

Like most health care providers in the country, Glens Falls Hospital is facing staffing challenges.

“Although there are many openings we are recruiting for, we are fortunate to have a dedicated staff that allows us to meet the needs of our patients, which fluctuates seasonally with the tourist population,” he said.

Scimeca said some professionals considering retirement postponed until the end of the pandemic because “they wanted to do what they can to help the community and be part of the team helping their friends and neighbors.”

But even separate from and before the issue of the pandemic, Scimeca said there was not enough growth among new staff to replace those who would be retiring.

The hospital has programs including a nurse

First-year Albany Medical College students, who have completed the first semester of the ILC, have embraced the new clerkship as an opportunity to apply their growing medical knowledge to patient care at an early point in their education.

Students will continue their clerkships during the first semester of their second year from August until December.

“St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates was pleased to support Albany Medical College this year with its inaugural clerkship program for first year medical students,” said Dr. William Kowal, a primary care physician with SPHP Medical Arts and the physician group’s chief medical officer. “During my time as a medical student, the impact that teachers and mentors had on my growth and development as a physician cannot be overstated. Given the current nationwide shortage of future physicians choosing to go into primary and family care, providing this cohort an opportunity to explore the many career opportunities available in this care setting was a true privilege.”

residency program that takes graduate nurses right out of training and helps them continue in their specialty areas, Scimeca said.

“Generations continue to look to us for their work,” he said. “Glens Falls Hospital is the largest employer in the area by three-fold and we take that responsibility very seriously. The health of the hospital is tied to the health of the community.”

Scimeca said that the hospital’s 2020 affiliation with Albany Medical Center “has been a dream” because it allows them to “better coordinate patient care and to bring physicians and allied health care providers to augment the staff in Glens Falls.”

“We have a culture at the hospital similar to the culture of the region, which is that we are good stewards of the community and we get things done,” he said.

Paul Scimeca is the president and CEO of Glens Falls Hospital.

Courtesy Glens Falls Hospital

"Locally Run Since 1981"

New York State To Invest $1 Billion To Overhaul Mental Health Care System

New York state is making a $1 billion transformative, multi-year investment to overhaul its continuum of mental health care and drastically reduce the number of New Yorkers with unmet mental health needs.

The Mental Health Care Plan was passed as part of the 2024 state budget, and will increase inpatient psychiatric treatment capacity, dramatically expand outpatient services, boost insurance coverage, and develop thousands of more units of supportive and transitional housing for people with mental illness, officials said.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, more than one in three New Yorkers has either personally sought or knows someone in need of mental health care, and our young people are reporting distress at rates unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “My Mental Health Care Plan marks an historic shift in our approach towards addressing mental health challenges, reversing years of neglect to our system and bringing bold investments to ensure that every New Yorker has access to high-quality care. This plan uses an all-hands-on-deck approach that utilizes community resources at every level to meet the needs all New Yorkers in every corner of our state.”

The 2024 budget provides $890 million in capital and $120 million in operating funding to establish and operate 3,500 new residential units serving those with mental health challenges. It also includes $30 million to expand mental health services for school-aged children throughout the state, including $20 million for school-based mental health services and $10 million to implement wraparound services training.

Additionally, the budget includes $10 million to strengthen suicide prevention programs for high-risk youth.

State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said the state plan “is a thoughtful and comprehensive strategy that will dramatically increase access to mental health services in communities all across the state, including those that have been underserved for many years. The historic initiatives she’s championed will help ensure that all of New York’s children, adults, and families have access to the mental health support and services they may need.”

My Mental Health Care Plan marks an historic shift in our approach towards addressing mental health challenges, reversing years of neglect to our system and bringing bold investments to ensure that every New Yorker has access to high-quality care.”

In addition to providing funding for new residential units and investing in mental health services for school-aged youth, the Mental Health Care Plan will invest in peer-based outreach, close gaps in insurance

coverage for behavioral health services, and significantly expand outpatient services.

The Plan delivers for New Yorkers in need through:

• Providing $18 million capital and $30 million operating funding to expand inpatient psychiatric beds, including opening 150 new adult beds in State-operated psychiatric hospitals, representing the largest expansion at these facilities in decades

• Investing $60 million in capital and $121.6 million operating funding, which will establish 12 new comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs providing hospitallevel crisis care and triple the number of state-funded certified community behavioral health clinics statewide -from 13 to 39 -that offer walk-in, immediate integrated mental health and substance use disorder services for New Yorkers of all ages and insurance status

• Funding 42 additional Assertive Community Treatment teams for children and adults to provide mobile, high intensity services to the most at-risk New Yorkers and eight additional Safe Options Support teams—five in New York City and three in the rest of state

• Providing $28 million to help create 50 new critical time intervention care coordination teams to provide wrap-around services, from housing to job supports, for individuals needing transition assistance, including children and adults discharged from hospitals and emergency rooms

• Building on investments made in the 2023 Budget, including $12 million for HealthySteps and home-based crisis intervention programs to promote early childhood development and treatment for children and teens; and $3.1 million to bolster treatment for individuals with eating disorders

• Allocating $2.8 million to expand the Intensive and Sustained Engagement Treatment program to offer peer-based outreach and engagement for adults with serious mental illness

• Providing $18 million over two years to reimburse providers for family preventive mental health services for parents and their children; and $24 million over two years to reimburse providers for adverse childhood experience screenings

• Supporting the workforce with a 4 percent cost of living adjustment and $14 million for the Office of Mental Health’s Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program, expanding the eligibility for the program to include licensed mental health professionals.

Additionally, the budget closes gaps in insurance coverage that have posed a barrier to New Yorkers needing mental health care and substance use disorder services.

Student Nurses Can Use Simulated Experiences

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation into law in May that officials say strengthens New York’s health care workforce by permitting nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical training through simulation experiences.

Overseen by the state Education Department, simulation training gives students hands-on experience in clinical environments while allowing nursing education programs to offer more options for clinical education. As New York currently faces a nursing shortage, expanding simulation experiences can help expedite training and deliver an influx of nurses where they are needed most.

“Our nurses have been invaluable to our health care system, especially throughout the pandemic, but too often feel overworked doing the jobs that they love, which has only been amplified by the current nursing shortage,” Hochul said. “I’m proud to sign legislation strengthening our health care workforce expediting training and allowing more capable nurses into the workforce improving care for all and creating a safer, healthier New York.”

Legislation allows for up to one-third of clinical education in nursing certificate and degree education programs to be completed through simulation experience. It will make nursing education more accessible, helping to address New York’s nursing shortage, which is projected to reach a workforce need of nearly 40,000 employees by 2030.

Training needed to become a highly skilled nurse in New York limits clinical placements in a hospital setting, and until students complete those placements, they cannot receive their nursing license and join the workforce. Instead of forcing eager students to wait for an open spot in a hospital, expanding simulated training will help clear the logjam, address the shortage, and ensure high quality care for millions of New Yorkers.

Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the legislation “will add morequalified and practice-ready nurses into the healthcare workforce.”

Restaurants Must Post Allergy Awareness Lists

Two state agencies are marking Allergy Awareness Month by informing the public about a new law affecting New York restaurants and other food service establishments.

Beginning May 20, any business that serves food in New York is required to post an allergy notice that is visible for employees involved in preparing and serving food. The notice also includes information on how staff should respond to a customer who reveals they have a food allergy, how to prevent cross-contamination in food preparation and service, and directs them to call 911 if a customer has an allergic reaction.

The policy is the product of a bill sponsored by state Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation in November. The legislators explained that the bill’s intent is to “educate restaurant personnel and ensure that safety mechanisms are utilized in food preparation and service.”

The new law also requires restaurants and food delivery services to label the eight major food allergens on menus.

The state Department of Agriculture and Markets, along with the state Department of Health, are raising awareness about the policy. Food safety is a priority for both agencies. The departments have inspectors who check food service establishments, restaurants and manufacturing plants.

“For people with food allergies, eating something that has been cross-contaminated with potential allergens can have serious consequences,” acting state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “This new initiative will help inform food service workers about the dangers of food allergens and protect their customers with food allergies, while also giving consumers comfort in knowing that staff is prepared to assist them in case of an emergency.”

Contractors Say Inability To Fill Jobs Drives Up Costs And Brings About Project Delays

At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, ‘People See They Have A Future’ Manager Says

BY PAUL POST

In the 1989 baseball classic, “Field of Dreams,” a mysterious voice tells character Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), “If you build it, they will come.”

These days, Kinsella might have a hard time finding the help he needs as a nationwide labor shortage continues to impact the building trades industry, a problem that’s especially acute in the Greater Capital Region.

“There’s not nearly enough bodies to fill the openings,” said Chris Dudley, a heavy equipment instructor at the WSWHE BOCES center in Hudson Falls. “All the big employers like DA Collins and Peckham Materials are really hurting for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and laborers. State, county and town highway departments are reaching out to us, looking to hire kids directly out of high school. They’ve never had to do that before. Everybody’s really having issues.”

There are so few truck drivers that the state recently lowered the age for obtaining a Class A commercial drivers license from 21 to 18, allowing more young adults to drive tractor-trailers.

A recent U.S. Labor Department study says there were 7.6 million unfilled trades jobs and

only 6.5 million people looking for work.

The problem stems from large numbers of Baby Boomers retiring out of the workforce, particularly during COVID, officials say. At the same time, school enrollments have steadily decreased the past few years and New York state in particular is faced with a declining population. More than 650,000 people have left for more economically friendly, warm weather states since 2020.

“The shortage has been bad for several years and is continuing to get worse as more businesses have suffered from the labor shortage post-COVID,” said Doug Ford, vice president of sales and purchasing at Ballston Spa-based Curtis Lumber Co. “It’s going to drive up costs and the building completion timeline. The biggest challenge is educating students, counselors and parents about the lucrative opportunities in trades. There are many misconceptions about our industry.”

The stereotype is one of long hours, doing physically hard work at relatively low pay. In reality, within 10 years a skilled equipment operator or electrician can make up to $100,000 per year or

Continued On Page 9

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

At a time when local contractors are struggling to fi nd qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union’s five-year apprenticeship program.

The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The local headquarters is in Glens Falls.

“I am seeing no shortage, and I know that I can recruit the people I need because we pay a living wage,” said Mike Jarvis, business manager at Local 773. “People see that they will have a future with us. They know they will be treated right.”

Despite being overwhelmed with applicants, Local 773 has been able to accept just three people into the Glens Falls apprenticeship program so far this year. Jarvis expects that number to top out at six, with an additional three apprentices likely to be selected from another large applicant pool in Plattsburgh where the union has its second location, he said.  Expanding its apprenticeship program will be possible only if the union is able to secure additional signatory union contractors.

In recent years, Jarvis and Brian Kill, business agent at Local 773, have been working to attract contractors from the residential and light commercial sectors.

“We realized we are missing a lot of market share within the residential and light commercial market space, so Brian and I sat down and came up with a wage rate and benefits package to fit the local economy,” said Jarvis.

“We spent a lot of time talking to contractors, and we came up with an agreement that would make the contractors competitive but would also offer benefits to their employees. The wage was geared more towards a fi rst year trainee, and the all-in package was less than that of a standard apprentice. Contractors loved it because it allowed them to still be competitive while paying employees what they were worth.”

Under that agreement, Local 773 workers were contracted to work on the apartments at Fowler Square in Queensbury where Albanybased BBL Construction was the contractor.

“It started off like a bang, but after they completed Fowler Square, I didn’t have jobs to send them to afterwards,” said Jarvis. “Now I’m working diligently with a lot of my contractors to try to get them to bid on more of

People earn good wages via construction jobs in the area, but contractors continue to report that there are not enough people to fill the positions that are needed.

Officials at Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitter say they have union members ready to take on jobs in an industry that complains of worker shortages.

Courtesy Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters

Labor Issues

Continued From Page 8

more, while their friends who went to a four-year college with no specific career in mind, are still paying off loans.

“A lot of kids aren’t really college-bound, but just think it’s the right thing to do,” said Nancy DeStefano, BOCES assistant superintendent for instructional programs. “We try to help them understand they can have very good careers by taking a Career & Technical Education (CTE) program and going right into the workforce, or a year or two our of trade school, with no college debt. There’s tons of building trades opportunities out there such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, siding, concrete work and excavation.”

One union, the Niskayuna-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 236, is an apparent anomaly in the local labor shortage crisis. Assistant Business Manager Mike Martell said that all 1,600 of his union’s positions are filled with more applicants waiting in the wings.

“We have a bargaining agreement with about 100 employers in the region,” he said. “If they need manpower they call us up. We work in 13 counties, mostly Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. Projects are kind of all over the board. We do commercial, industrial, solar farms, wind farms, a variety of things.”

“We have our own five-year apprenticeship training program,” Martell said. “We do some high school recruiting and attend trade shows and career days. But that’s not exclusively the pool we draw from. We also get people in their 30s and 40s who maybe tried something else that didn’t work out and want a fresh start. They can get into our program and be as successful as anybody else.”

“People come here looking for a career and they’re able to find one and support their family,” he said. “They don’t have to make any payments toward healthcare or retirement. That’s all covered.”

Education and building trades leaders alike are pursuing multiple efforts to address the labor shortage.

Six years ago, Saratoga Builders Association formed a Task Force, co-chaired by Ford and fellow Curtis Lumber official Pamela Stott, with a goal of educating students and helping them

make informed decisions about their industry.

The Task Force has since evolved into the nearly 50-member Capital Coalition for the Trades, with firms from several counties. It’s currently seeking non-profit status with plans to create its own board.

Specific efforts at reaching young people have included work site tours, job shadowing and trades people visiting schools to talk to young about their jobs, benefits and rewards.

“There is no quick fix to this problem, which is why we are even working with elementary students now to start the learning process much earlier, in hopes that by the time they graduate more kids will consider the trades as a viable option,” Ford said. “We have a ‘Build a Toolbox’ program. Members from the trades and Curtis Lumber employees go into the elementary schools and help kids assemble the toolbox while talking to them about all the various trades that help build a house.”

On another front, the Coalition helps school counselors learn about trades with hopes they’ll encourage more students to consider the industry. In March, 88 counselors from throughout the area attended a 2.5-hour workshop hosted by BOCES, and left with the tools needed to inform young people about trades.

Also, a Women in Trades Initiative, highlighting opportunities for female building trades workers, is just finishing up its second year. Women represent a huge untapped pool of potential employees as females account for a very small percentage of the building trades workforce.

Several dozen girls in grades eight to 10 took part in hands-on opportunities at BOCES this year to see what the industry is like, in addition to hearing from female workers who visited local middle schools and high schools.

And recruitment efforts aren’t just aimed at students.

BOCES holds twice-a-week evening classes, from six to eight weeks long, giving adults the training they need to qualify for building trades jobs, also.

“We can all do something to change the course we’re on,” Ford said. “Talking about the problem without acting solves nothing.”

Plumbers

Continued From Page 8

this residential/light commercial work.”

Most independent contractors are reluctant to hire union workers because doing so cuts into their bottom line.

According to the Brookings Institution, union workers earn 11 percent more than nonunion works. They also received an attractive benefits package which includes health insurance and a pension.

“It’s very unusual for contractors to use union employees,” said Jarvis. “I’m not saying that this applies to all contractors, but many want to get rich on the backs of their employees.”

According to Jarvis, Boyce and Drake Plumbing in Saratoga Springs is one of the few small local contractors that relies on workers from Local 773.

“Boyce and Drake does residential and light commercial heating, cooling, and plumbing, and their charge out rate is the same as the other eight or ten non-union companies that they compete with,” said Jarvis. “That means that the homeowner still pays the same price, and the only difference is that Boyce and Drake doesn’t make as much because they are paying their employees a living wage. Their employees don’t make as much as my A-rate guys at GlobalFoundries do. But they make a great wage and have health insurance and the complete pension that 773 offers.

“With 773, you are getting quality employees. Our workers are trained professionals who went to school for five years in our apprentice-

ship program and receive continuous training. And, if there is an issue with an employee on the job, you make one call, and I come down and sort it out. We get it done.”

Studies have also indicated that union workers are more likely to engage in safety practices than their non-union counterparts. Union workers are also able to express concerns over workplace safety without fear of retaliation.

Jarvis warns developers to be wary of what he refers to as the “fly-by-night” general contractors. In order to cut costs, these contractors often hire subcontractors who do sub-par work, something that can lead to costly mistakes.

“You get a lot of cut-rate general contractors who sub out the work. The cheaper he can get the subcontracting done, the more money he will make,” he said. “At the end of the day, if the work that is being performed on your job isn’t quality, you need to start asking questions. It may have been cheaper up front, but in the long run, was it really cheaper?”

When it comes to the skilled trades labor shortage, Jarvis said it comes down to dollars and sense.

“If you pay their worth and treat them properly, I don’t think we would have the shortage in the trades.

Local 773 has no shortage of skilled workers, and Jarvis is hopeful that contractors in the residential and light commercial sectors will take advantage of the competitive wage agreements that are available.

“I need to get the message out that we have no shortage and that we could man these projects if they gave us a chance,” said Jarvis.

Chuck Ciaccia 29 years

Jude Gosh 34 years

Dave Weiss 23 years

Spencer Agan 25 years

Dennis Choiniere 48 years

Arrow Financial Corp. CEO David S. DeMarco Sees The Value Of Building Relationships

Editor’s Note: Arrow Financial Corp.—the parent company of Saratoga National Bank and Glens Falls National Bank—announced in May that David S. DeMarco is the new president and chief executive officer of the company.

DeMarco was chief banking officer and senior executive vice president at the company. He replaces Thomas J. Murphy who terminated his employment. The Glens Falls Business Journal recently caught up with DeMarco.

See Pg 1.

Retirement Planing With SECURE Act 2.0

BY MARK PRIAN

The original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 was designed to expand access to tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, and it made changes to existing laws to ensure that older Americans are less likely to outlive their retirement assets.

BY PAUL POST

The Digital Age has made communication faster and more far-reaching than ever with email and various social media platforms.

But it’s also led to a breakdown of face-to-face, interpersonal relations that a strong community bank needs to serve customers most effectively.

That’s one of the biggest challenges Dave DeMarco sees in his new role as president and CEO of Arrow Financial Corp., and its subsidiaries Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

“Technology has changed the banking industry dramatically,” he said. “We’re in the relationship building business. It’s hard to do that with someone who’s taking a picture of a check and banking on their cell phone or computer instead of coming to the bank. You couldn’t do that when I joined Glens Falls National 35 years ago.”

“We don’t see customers as much as we used to,” he said. “So we basically have to get out of the office to meet people and build relationships.”

DeMarco, 61, a Saratoga Springs resident, has been intimately involved with many facets of the evolving industry during his lengthy banking career.

A Niskayuna High School graduate (1980), he earned a degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin (1984) and started out as a commercial lending officer for a large bank in Dallas before returning home to join Glens Falls National, in 1987, as manager of its commercial loan department.

From there he was put in charge of branch offices and marketing, and in 2004 was responsible for building the bank’s insurance operation, The Upstate Agency.

“New banking laws allowed us to get into that business,” DeMarco said. “We finance homes, cars and businesses. They all need insurance and businesses need health insurance. It was a real nice complement to our banking services and it continues today.”

In this regard, branch offices have taken on new roles, too, including wealth management, which Arrow Corp. also provides.

“Branches are becoming more like consulting or financial advisory centers,” DeMarco said. “You can now go into one of our branches and not only make a deposit or get a loan, you can get insurance and talk to your investment advisor. We’ve tried to create a one-stop-shop over the past 15 years. That’s been a real change.”

With Glens Falls National, his retail banking territory stretched north all the way to Plattsburgh. But in 2012, DeMarco was named president and CEO of Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company, following the retirement of Raymond F. O’Conor, who continues as bank chair.

DeMarco oversaw a major expansion of the Saratoga bank’s territory into the Greater Capital Region with new branch offices in Clifton Park, Colonie, Troy, Schenectady, Rotterdam and Latham. There are now 37 Glens Falls National and Saratoga National branch offices from Albany to Plattsburgh.

COVID and unfavorable economic trends have slowed such growth.

“We do plan to expand going forward, but I doubt it will happen this year,” he said. “We’re evaluating communities we might move into, which is interesting because some banks have been closing and we’ve actually consolidated where we’ve had two branches in the same community a mile apart. But we still believe and the industry still proves that in order to do business in a community you have to have a presence. We’re looking at surrounding communities, primarily outside the Capital District, as we continue to expand outward.”

DeMarco said the Capital Region’s diverse, stable employment base with a large state government, nearly two dozen colleges and universities and numerous private-sector firms is a major asset that offsets the worst effects of economic volatility.

“We tend to be isolated to some degree from recessions, not completely, of course,” he said. “We don’t have the high highs or the low lows we read

about nationally in some of the bigger cities. I think the rest of the year will be stable with no significant downturns. We aren’t seeing the growth of our loan portfolio we have the past couple years, but we’re seeing modest growth. I think that will continue.”

“At some point the Fed’s (Federal Reserve) going to stop raising interest rates,” he said. “They’re talking about a pause, potentially this month or in July. I’d like to think as we get into 2024 that they will have leveled off. If the economy slows a little further they’ll probably be forced next year to start lowering rates, which hopefully will spur some more economic activity.”

DeMarco believes the challenging current economic environment is an advantage for Arrow Corp., as a long-time local institution.

“Our company’s been around since 1851,” he said. “We’ve been through ups and downs in the economy and industry. Because we’ve been around so long, we’re one of the top performing banking companies for a bank our size in the country. We have very strong capital, very strong liquidity, a very safe loan portfolio. At a time when there’s been a lot of headlines about bank failures, feeling comfortable about your hometown bank is what our two banks are all about.”

“I’m not looking to change our path,” DeMarco said. “My job is to support them and lead them in the direction that fulfills our mission of providing community banking services. When you have a company that’s 172 years old, you can walk in anywhere and people know what you stand for. You’re able to build relationships much faster.”

Arrow Corp. employs approximately 500 people.

An ongoing labor shortage crisis is another big challenge he’s faced with as the company’s new leader.

“It’s absolutely affecting our company,” he said. “We’ve always had some turnover in the teller position, primarily, but many people changed their thought process about working during COVID. We have some remote business, but with those 37 branch offices you’ve got to be there to serve your customer.

“We have been challenged, like all industries, finding people,” he said. “We’re trying to remain competitive on salary. We have an internal program that rewards employees for referring their friends. We have a phenomenal benefit program. We’re doing everything we can to be an employer of choice, but it’s not easy.”

Prior to his recent promotion, DeMarco had been Arrow Corp.’s chief banking officer and senior executive vice president.

As the new president and CEO he succeeds Thomas J. Murphy who terminated his employment, his director’s position and all other positions with the company, a press release said.

“As chairman of the Saratoga National Bank board I’ve worked closely with Dave and have no doubt that he will do a superb job in his new role,” O’Conor said.

Active in the community, DeMarco is a board member and treasurer of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation and Greater Capital Region United Way; is treasurer of the Center for Economic Growth (part of Capital Region Chamber of Commerce); is on the Independent Bankers of New York State Board and the CAPTAIN Advisory Council.

Arrow board Chairman William L. Owens said, “Dave has dedicated his career to the company, understands community banking and he is well-known throughout our organization and the communities we serve.”

The intent of this act was also to improve the way businesses provide retirement benefits to employees.

In 2022, some long-awaited changes to the original act were introduced, and, in December, what is now known as SECURE 2.0 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.

SECURE 2.0 builds on the original objectives and makes some important adjustments to the 2019 legislation. With more than 100 provisions in the law, these new changes are bound to impact just about everyone who is saving for retirement. So, whether your employees are close to retiring or have many more years to save, here are some highlights you need to know.

Starting in 2023, the biggest change in SECURE 2.0 might be the adjustments to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Under the 2019 act, a plan participant had to begin withdrawing retirement savings at the age of 72. The 2022 law increases this to age 73, that began on Jan. 1, 2023. By 2033, the starting age for RMDs will be 75.

Also starting this year, the penalties for failing to take the RMD are cut from 50 percent of the amount not taken down to 25 percent. If you correct this mistake in a timely manner within an IRA, the penalty drops to 10 percent.

Employers may now choose to offer matching or nonelective contributions as Roth contributions.

The legislation permits employers to offer small financial incentives, like low-dollar-amount gift cards, to help boost employee participation.

For new retirement plans, companies may be able to take advantage of tax credits on start-up administration costs. There may also be company tax credits available for each employee that enrolls. Limits do apply.

Starting in 2024:

If you have employees who are putting off participating in a retirement plan because they have student loans to pay back, starting in 2024 employers can “match” those employee student loan payments as contributions to a retirement account. This provision may help the employee save for retirement while getting out of debt.

Catch-up contributions for those participants over age 50 may be required to be Roth contributions. This is dependent on employee income.

RMDs will not be required for Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts. Employees’ accounts can continue to grow tax-free.

Employees may claim a personal emergency withdrawal of up to $1,000. Restrictions apply.

A “Side-Car” Emergency Savings Account can be established within the plan. Employees can access this additional Roth savings account tax and penalty free.

Plan Force-Out and Portability rules, which guide how employers manage the retirement accounts of former employees, are also changing.

Starting in 2025: Upcoming changes in catch-up contributions might help you reach your retirement savings goals

faster. For employees ages 60 to 63, the catch-up limit increases to $10,000 effective January 1, 2025.

SECURE 2.0 expands automatic enrollment in retirement plans. The new legislation requires employers who introduce new plans to automatically enroll any eligible new employees. Small businesses with 10 or fewer employees are exempt, as are new businesses, defined in the bill as those which have been in business for three or less years.

Long-term, part-time employees will be allowed to save through the company’s retirement plan.

Starting in 2027:

The Saver’s Match program will reward low-tomoderate income workers for saving in a retirement plan. The Treasury will reward eligible savers with up to $1,000 in free match into their retirement account. The program currently in existence is the Saver’s Credit which allows for retirement savings-related tax credits.

One other interesting and potentially very helpful provision in the new law relates to lost 401(k) plans. If concern about dormant accounts due to staff turnover has kept you from offering your employees a retirement plan, this provision could help. For past employees who may have changed jobs and subsequently lost track of their 401(k) accounts, the new law establishes a retirement savings “lost and found” database to help people track down their missing and forgotten accounts. The database is anticipated to be up and running in about two years.

The original SECURE Act sought to make it easier for small businesses to create retirement accounts for employees, which was difficult and expensive in the past. With nearly half of all U.S. workers employed by small businesses, Congress recognizes that this is an important sector to reach and encouraging small businesses to offer retirement plans is critical. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 67 percent of private industry workers have access to an employer provided retirement plan as of March 2020.

The intent behind the original SECURE Act was to encourage working Americans to plan for retirement. SECURE 2.0 builds on that by enhancing incentives for small business owners to motivate employees to participate. If you are interested in setting up a retirement plan for your small business, your financial institution is ready to help you get your employees on the road to saving for their retirement.

David S. DeMarco is the new CEO and president at Arrow Financial Corp. Courtesy Arrow Financial Corp.

Mark Prian, institutional wealth management consultant, NBT Wealth Management.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Business Report

How You Can Help Your Kids Financially

SHERRY FINKEL MURPHY, CFP, RICP, CHFC

As a parent of adult children, there’s an ongoing tug of war between your values, your finances, and your time, with respect to your family.

True story: Last week, my husband hopped into his truck, and drove three states west on zero notice, to provide grandpa coverage for 5-year-old grandchild number four, while our daughter and son-in-law juggled careers, pregnancy, selling a house, and relocating. Their careers are taking them where they need to go; and we are monitoring where they land to see how we can best provide support.

We are feeling blessed to have the time and geographic flexibility that so many of our peers don’t have. It was a great case study in offering resources “besides” money, that are meaningful value-adds to the kids.

As your financial planner, I will always recommend that you “secure your own oxygen mask” (fund your own retirement) before you turn to the seat next to you and assist. That part certainly has not changed. What might be different for this generation is the notion of what “helping the kids” looks like. While once you were determined to fund a wedding or provide a down payment on a home, today you might be more creative—or even return to the intergenerational assistance of days gone by.

Here are some ideas for helping your kids that can be as rewarding for you as for your adult children:

Combine an opportunity to see the grandkids with a destination family vacation and pay your own way. Take the grandkids in the evenings or at certain hours to give your children a break without increasing the cost of their travel childcare. I have clients who love to travel separately and converge on a destination with their children and grandkids.

The grandparents split the cost of the rental with the adult children, for which the kids are grateful. Everyone gets a little rest. The adult children get a few much-needed date nights, and the grandkids have quality grandparent time.

Start 529s for your grandkids’ education. The beauty of grandparent tax-preferred 529s is that they’re not necessarily visible on the financial need form. But they may come with a state tax benefit for you. The gift of education, no matter where it’s applied, is never wasted. Plus, courtesy of the SECURE Act 2.0, long-open 529 accounts that go unused may be able to fund a Roth IRA for the beneficiary, instead.

If the goal is for you to downsize, maybe pay for a mother-in-law suite or a tiny house in your adult children’s backyard. I know many people want to help their adult children purchase a house.

This worries me a little, because the house may be too much of a stretch for the adult children’s cash flow (and may result in the loss of flexibility

AARP Report: Two-Th irds Of Adults In U.S. Believe Consumer Fraud Is At A Crisis Level

Two-thirds of adults in the United States believe fraud has hit a crisis level, according to a new AARP Fraud Watch Network report.

The report also highlights the methods criminals use to steal money, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards and peer-to-peer payment apps. The findings suggest the need for Americans to share what they know about scams with their friends and family.

“Financial predators use a playbook to get us into a heightened emotional state,” said Kathy Stokes, AARP director of fraud prevention programs. “They know it’s hard to access our logical thinking when we are panicked, excited or scared. But knowing about specific scams makes it far less likely that we will engage with them.”

Criminals often turn to atypical payment options in their scams like gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and cryptocurrency, because these forms of payment are processed quickly and cannot be reversed.

Peer-to-peer apps like Venmo, Zelle and CashApp are also used in scams. These apps do not offer consumers the same level of fraud protection as credit cards, but our research showed that 63 percent of adults are not aware of this distinction. These types of apps should be used as they are intended to provide payment to a known and trusted contact.

Fraud is a severely under reported crime, even as nearly nine in 10 adults feel people should report incidents, the report said. Nearly 40 percent of Americans still don’t understand that victims do not lose money to scams because they are gullible.

for relocation.) I know that for you, the parent, the American Dream was home ownership. But it may not be the first thing your kids should invest in. How about a creative compromise?

One client added funds to her daughter’s home-building budget to create a separate suite. Pre-pandemic, she summered in Europe, and everyone would visit her. Then she’d return home to her family for the winter, providing weekend babysitting coverage and an extra set of wheels for school and activity pick-ups.

Consider acquiring whole life insurance for your children and grandchildren, while they are young and insurable. Whole life insurance is a great utility player in a financial plan. It’s inexpensive to provide when young and the cash accumulation and/or long-term care rider can be critical to a retirement plan’s success. But your adult children, who have many competing obligations, may feel that it’s a bucket they can’t afford to fi ll until it’s too late and too expensive.

While you’re at it, acquire whole life insurance for yourselves and name your children as the beneficiaries.

Here’s what wealthy people know: They can spend or give away every dime of what they have, living later life to the fullest. It doesn’t matter if you have nothing left if you’ve already arranged for a tax-free transfer of wealth to the next generation via a life insurance death benefit.

Last, Ryan Frederick, author of “Right Place, Right Time,” is a longevity specialist who believes that geography—the right place to live—is critical to your health and wellbeing in retirement; and that living with or near family can be a multigenerational boon.

Be strategic about your own resources, your community, and your activity. Is ‘aging in place’ really the right solution for you? Does maintaining the family home worry your adult children? There’s a complementary body of research that

The AARP report showed one third of adults do not know it is a scam when someone directs you to use a cryptocurrency ATM to address some financial concern. In 2022 alone, the FBI says reported losses from fraud involving cryptocurrency reached $2.57 billion, a 183 percent increase from the previous year.

Gift cards also continue to be a common tool for criminals. About 25 percent of adults reported being unaware that being asked to make a payment or send money by gift card is a scam. A separate AARP report looking at the victim experience with gift card-related fraud emphasizes the emotional cost of these crimes in addition to the financial cost. Focus group participants felt there is little empathy for a crime that stole a reported $228 million from consumers in 2022 (FTC).

indicates how important ‘grandparents’ are to the development of the youngest generation. Weekly wisdom and extra family time from Grandma and Grandpa (and help around the house) may be just what your adult children need, but something for which they would never think to ask. And there’s a great longevity benefit in it for you.

Of course, living near family requires setting boundaries and the rules of drop-ins. I am simply encouraging you to rule out nothing in your search for the perfect way to help your children, financially. As for me, I’m off to search for a small

Victimization from a scam can happen to anyone. Such language subtly blames the victim, underscoring the need for society to shift how we talk about victimization. Previous AARP research found that placing the blame for fraud on the criminal and not on the victim could lead to more reporting of these crimes and could ultimately lead to more law enforcement action to combat the fraud epidemic.

To read the full report visit Americans Are Aware of Fraud But Remain Vulnerable (aarp. org)

The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource that equips consumers with up-to-date knowledge to spot and avoid scams, and connects those targeted by scams with our fraud helpline specialists who provide support and guidance on what to do next. Anyone can call the helpline at 877-908-3360.

The Fraud Watch Network also offers free, facilitated peer discussion groups that seek to provide emotional support for those experiencing fraud; and advocates at the federal, state, and local levels to enact policy changes that protect consumers and enforce laws.

pied-a-terre exactly 20 minutes away from my kids’ new hometown on Zillow.

The primary purpose of permanent life insurance is to provide a death benefit. Using permanent life insurance accumulated value to supplement retirement income will reduce the death benefit and may affect other aspects of the policy.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM) and its subsidiaries, including Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) in Milwaukee, WI.

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

Micro Brews, Nonprofits Among Those Who Can Apply In Latest Grant Funding Round

New York state has opened the application period for Round XIII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

Round XIII includes core capital grant and tax-credit funding combined with a wide range of programs from 10 state agencies, including $150 million in grant funds from Empire State Development, available to projects on a continuous basis.

The councils are encouraged to support projects that advance or address strategic State priorities—including green buildings and sustainable development, child care, distressed communities, and innovative public-private partnerships; those projects, will be eligible for additional award funding.

The deadline for applications is Friday, July 28, at 4 p.m. Open enrollment programs are not subject to the July 28 deadline and will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis until funds are exhausted.

Officials said new this year, two new micro programs will award capital grants to support New York state craft beverage manufacturers and non-profit organizations, and a new $30 million Challenge competition will award $10 million to up to three regions to implement creative solutions to tackle persistent barriers to economic growth.

Also, for the first time since 2015, the councils will be tasked with updating their strategic regional economic development plans.

“Our Regional Economic Development Council Initiative continues to transform communities across the state, creating jobs and driving private investment all over New York,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The launch of this latest round builds on state efforts to address our most pressing economic priorities—from sustainable development to the growing demand for childcare—all while empowering communities to tap into their regional strengths. Thanks to the work of the REDCs, New York is continuing to make the catalytic investments that foster economic growth and continued success in every corner of our state.”

The 10 REDCs are guided by their regional strategic economic development plans, which em-

phasize each region’s unique assets and provide strategies to harness local resources to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs statewide.

This year, the regional councils will review and update their plans to re-establish each region’s priorities for growth, guide the deployment of resources, and create an updated road map to achieving its economic vision.

As part of the updated strategic plan, the councils will be tasked with analyzing specific challenges to economic growth. Each REDC will develop a proposal that outlines creative and innovative solutions to address one specific challenge of their choice. These proposals will be reviewed by the state and up to three winning proposals will be awarded up to $10 million funding to implement the proposed solutions.

This year, funding is available from 10 state agencies across 30 programs. Regional councils will review projects and provide scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies.

In Round XIII, ESD is launching two new micro grant programs: the Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program and the Not-for-Profit Capital Grant Program. Up to $5 million will be available through the Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program, designed to increase the production capacity, business infrastructure and profitability of businesses licensed to produce wine, beer, spirits, hard cider and mead in New York State. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 would support equipment purchases and facility upgrades.

Up to $5 million will be available through the Not-for-Profit Capital Grant program, which will award matching funds grants to nonprofit organizations who provide economic and community benefits in their region to assist with facility improvements and upgrades. Grant awards would range from $25,000 to $100,000.

The Regional Economic Development Council initiative is a key component of the state’s approach to investment and economic development.

Learn more at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.

Chamber Of Commerce Rejuvenated In South

Glens Falls To Support Businesses, Activities

BY ANN DONNELLY

Supporting the businesses of South Glens Falls and the town of Moreau, the South Glens Falls Chamber of Commerce started meeting again in February.

Over the time of the pandemic, many of the existing board members retired and decided not to participate any longer.

“While this slowed starting the Chamber back up, it has provided an opportunity to bring on board fresh faces,” said Cheryl Lawyer, director of marketing and outreach at the Moreau Community Center who is now president of the Chamber.

“We were motivated to keep going by the amount of community interest in the concert series. The free Concert in the Park series will take place in the village’s historic Park Pavilion on Saturdays from 5-7 p.m., July 1, through Aug. 19. The concerts give people a reason to cross the bridge and see what South Glens Falls offers,” she said.

The local chamber is a way for businesses and other organizations to network and work together to benefit themselves and the community.

Other officers are Patty Van Dyke, vice president, and Kathy Scherer, secretary.

The village of South Glens Falls is known for its high community support for charitable causes, like the annual South High Marathon Dance, which has raised over $10 million from the 46 dances held over the years.

An event of this magnitude requires skilled organization and collaboration from all corners of the community: school and school district staff, students and their families, local government and local businesses. This type of collaboration has proved to be an asset for companies that start up in South Glens Falls.

An example of this is the success of Common Roots Brewery and how the business came back after a devastating fire in 2019.

“It is part of our ethos to be part of the community,” said Christian Weber, who founded Common Roots with his father, Bert. Looking for a space in the Saratoga and Glens Falls area they found the former Overhead Door building on Saratoga Avenue in South Glens Falls.

“We knew that South Glens Falls is a big corridor between Glens Falls and Saratoga ... It fit everything we were looking for,” he said.

When Common Roots opened in December 2014, it became a favorite of locals. Also, it attracted beer lovers from further afield and the space needed to be larger. They acquired an apartment building next door to expand the taproom, add a kitchen, and expand the brewery.

“We had dug the foundation, but the fire was the day before the cement was to be poured,” Weber said. Even with a devastating loss, the Webers barely skipped a beat, opening a temporary facility to continue. “The community got together and did all of these fundraisers for our staff. We were able to keep our staff completely whole. Six brewers were doing the work of one brewer. It was important to keep them in work.”

In June 2020, Common Roots moved back into a rebuilt state-of-the-art brewery and expanded taproom at its original location. And, across the road from the main facility, construction is in process for a new warehouse with room

to expand, maybe as soon as July.

Humbled by the experience, the Webers created the Common Roots Foundation. It gives out close to $50,000 annually for community projects and organizes fundraising events.

Common Roots owners were also looking to expand into the Capital District. Earlier this year, they came to an agreement with Neil Evans, owner of C.H. Evans brewery in Albany, about acquiring the business. It will give Common Roots a presence in the Capital District, in the historic Pump House facility, and C.H. Evans beers will be added to their brands.

Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center is another successful South Glens Falls-based business expanding into the Capital District. In January, owners Doug and Alison Bohannon purchased Spare Time Entertainment in Latham from its owner Bowl New England.

In 2013, the Bohannons saw an opportunity to purchase the lanes in South Glens Falls. In addition to success with bowling leagues, Kingpin’s Alley hosts four high schools during the bowling season and many fundraisers throughout the year.

“Our whole goal around here is to keep people in the village. I am not a resident of the village, but there is a ton of potential here,” says Bohannon. ”After the pandemic, bowling is a great way for people to congregate, with friends, family. It’s wholesome, and it’s fun. People don’t need to go all the way up to Lake George.”

The food menu was also upgraded.

Bohannon brings some prominent national bowling tournaments to the village, like in 2021 when the Professional Women’s Bowling Association held its Albany Open.

In 1985, Gay Congdon opened Fantasy Fitness Salon in South Glens Falls’ Midtown Shopping Center and became one of the first gyms to offer strength training specifically for women. After a rebrand with a move further south down Saratoga Avenue and a few ownership changes, Kathy Scherer took over the business in 2014, and it is still going strong today as Go-For Fitness.

“Most of our customers are from South Glens Falls. We pride ourselves on our welcoming, non-judgemental atmosphere and on being able to help people of all ages,” said Scherer.

“Our staff of six talented and dedicated women makes the gym the success it is today. Everyone who works at Go-For Fitness has nationally recognized certifications to ensure that we provide safe and effective exercise programs and classes.”

South Glens Falls’ location, just over the bridge from downtown Glens Falls, in Saratoga County, yet adjacent to Warren and Washington counties, benefits those doing business in those three counties.

While the availability and price of suitable commercial property are common factors attracting business, the infrastructure is also improving. Soon the work at the newly designed Northway Exit 17 will be completed, and, according to Mark LeVack of LeVack Realty, “The new sewer line coming is a very attractive infrastructure improvement that will no doubt lead to more growth and development on Route 9 in South Glens Falls.”

Yankee Marina

Continued From Page 1

Brodie worked as an engineer at GE Global Research before purchasing the business from his parents.

“My parents started the business in 1972 when they bought the marina on Lake George in Diamond Point,” he said. “My brother and I bought them out and split the business up within the last two years.”

His brother, Jon Brodie, owns and operates Brodie’s Lakeside Marina as well as Little Harbor Boat Co. rentals on Lake George. Andrew Brodie and his wife operate Yankee Marina and Boat Rentals as well as Yankee Boating Center

“At the marina, we do boat rentals as well as a fuel dock and a ship store. At our retail facility, which is at 3578 Lakeshore Drive, we do boat sales and service. We also have parts and accessory sales and a watersports pro shop,” he said.

According to Brodie, the company has also stored hundreds of boats for its customers in space that they have leased for dozens of years. Finding property to build their own storage facility proved difficult.

“It was challenging to find a flat, large area in proximity to our marina and dealership that was zoned for storage. We finally found some good property in 2018, and prior to that, I had been searching for property for five or six years. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

After purchasing the land, it took Brodie more than 2.5 years to obtain permitting from the town of Lake George and the Adirondack Park Agency.

“It was a very long, expensive, laborious process,” he said. “I started clearing the land in November of last year.”

Munter Enterprises of Middle Grove is

Pavilion Park In Lake Luzerne To Host ‘Food Trucks And Music Extravaganza’ Events

the contractor for the project which has a price tag of approximately $3 million.

Rising interest rates and skyrocketing material costs resulted in a significantly higher costs than Brodie had originally anticipated, he said. It was for that reason that he sought tax incentives from the IDA.

“We were approved for three buildings, and I’m looking to get two built this year,” said Brodie. “The buildings will provide boat storage for our customers’ boats as well as for our own rental fleet in the winter and stock overflow from our boat dealership. We’ve brought on some new lines, and we’ve been running out of space. We’re busting at the seams.”

Upon completion of the indoor boat storage expansion, Yankee Marine Group’s staff will be able to service boats indoors during the winter months. As a result, Brodie anticipates increasing his staff of year-round employees. The company currently has a staff that includes 12 year-round employees and approximately 30 seasonal workers.

“Not only will we be able to grow our service department, but with the extra space, it will allow us to take more retail inventory and sell more boats,” he said. “It will give us the space to grow all of our businesses.”

According to Brodie, COVID related supply chain that plagued the boating industry are no longer an issue. There is plenty of inventory available, and although sales have slowed, they remain strong.

“It’s hard for anyone to predict what things are going to look like in six months, but so far into the year, we still see a really good demand for new and used boats,” he said.

The Lake Luzerne Regional Chamber Of Commerce and the town of Lake Luzerne announced the inaugural Food Trucks and Music Extravaganza series this summer.

The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. on six consecutive Wednesdays beginning July 12 and ending on Aug. 16 at the Pavilion Park located at 248 Lake Avenue in Lake Luzerne.

The events will bring together a diverse selection of food options from various food trucks offering items including tacos, fish and chicken sandwiches, gourmet mac and cheese, lemonade, doughnuts and more.

Organizers said the live music will feature local bands and regional artists, adding to the ambiance and creating a festive atmosphere.

In addition to offering food and music, the extravaganza will hold a 50-50 raffle to raise money for the Lake Luzerne food bank and local scholarships. All proceeds from the raffle will go

directly to support these community organizations.

“We are thrilled to launch the inaugural lake luzerne food trucks and music extravaganza,” said Pam Petteys of the Lake Luzerne Regional Chamber Of Commerce.”

The event is free to attend, and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to enjoy the music and food in the park.

The music schedule includes: July 12, the Stony Creek Band; July 19, The National Reserve; July 26, Panther Mountain Band; August 2, The Mallett Brothers Band; Aug. 9, Donny Elvis; and Aug. 16, The Spirit Of Johnny Cash.

In case of rain, the extravaganza will be held at Lake Luzerne Senior Center, Lake Luzerne Town Hall, 539 Lake Ave.

For more information on the food trucks and music extravaganza, send an email to Llftms2023@gmail.com.

This is the logo for the inaugural Food Trucks and Music Extravaganza series that will kickoff this summer at the Pavilion Park, 248 Lake Avenue in Lake Luzerne.

Courtesy Lake Luzerne Regional Chamber Of Commerce

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 & Elm

Glens Falls, NY

Park & Elm is a multi-concept eatery with a gourmet market, delicatessen, and fi ne dining restaurant located in walkable downtown Glens Falls. Enjoy an elevated dining experience, grab a breakfast or lunch to go, or shop the market for local goods.

Park 26

Glens Falls, NY

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

O’Toole’s Restaurant Pub

Queensbury, NY

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

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.

The Docksider Restaurant

Lake George, NY

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

Fenimore’s Pub

Glens Falls, NY

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

Davidson Brothers Restaurant

Glens Falls, NY

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

Morgan & Co. Restaurant

Glens Falls, NY

Experience fine American dining in downtown Glens Falls at Morgan & Co. Every dish offers a unique and innovative twist on original recipes. Morgan & Co. also caters events from weddings to reunions and more!

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.

The Log Jam

Lake George, NY

An authentic log cabin serving lunch and dinner daily. Featuring signature sandwiches at lunch and succulent prime rib, juicy hand cut steaks, live lobsters, fresh seafood, chicken,and more at dinner. All entrees include our bountiful salad bar.

Mint Glens Falls, NY

Enjoy seasonally fresh fare and exquisite cocktails in a relaxed atmosphere at Mint in Glens Falls. The upscale yet casual restaurant works with around 50 local farms and businesses to be able to use fresh, thoughtfully raised, in-season ingredients.

Downtown Social

Glens Falls, NY

Located in the heart of downtown Glens Falls, NY, Downtown Social is a local eatery and beer hall that features multiple dining experiences, bars, and a chef-prepared menu for lunch and dinner.

Adirondack Pub & Brewery

Lake George, NY

Thanks for coming to see our little piece of the Adirondacks! At our Pub, in Lake George, you can find great American cuisine and award winning craft-brewed beer, made right here in our adjoining brewery.

Courtesy of GlensFalls.com

A&W Restaurant in Lake George Continues Operation Th is Summer Under New Owners

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

A&W restaurant, a Lake George staple since 1959, will open for the season under new ownership.

Hao Yang, a restaurateur from Albany, purchased the franchise from Wayne Pelak for $605,000 in May. Just one year earlier, Pelak purchased the restaurant from Dave Madden who owned it for 44 years.

America’s first franchised restaurant chain, the first A&W was established in Sacramento in 1923. Today, there are more than 900 A&W restaurants operating throughout the world. Of the 550 that are located in the U.S., just seven are in New York state. New franchises continue to open throughout the U.S., Canada, and Southeast Asia.

A&W’s is known for its root beer, made fresh at each restaurant and served in frosty mugs. They also serve a variety of fast food items including their 1963 invention, the bacon cheeseburger.

“The A&W has been operating very successfully in Lake George for about 50 years. It’s an iconic restaurant. The location is outstanding, and they have a very loyal clientele,” said Mitch Muroff, owner of real estate brokerage firm Muroff Hospitality.

According to Muroff, Pelak was forced to sell due to health concerns.

“The business was extremely busy when he bought it, and it required more time and energy than he had envisioned. He and his family decided that the best thing for him to do would be to retire.”

For Yang, the owner of several Asian restaurants in the Albany and Latham, this is his first business venture in Lake George. He plans to continue to operate the 2208 Route 9 restaurant as an A&W franchise and recently completed the A&W management training course.

Muroff said that Yang plans to make some upgrades to modernize the location.

“He will be making some subtle improvements as well as enhancing some of the technological amenities of the store and tweaking the menu.”

The Lake George A&W has always operated as a seasonal restaurant, and Muroff believes that Yang intends to expand the season. Yang has not yet made a formal announcement regarding the operating schedule, and the restaurant is temporarily closed as it undergoes modernization. According to Yelp, it is scheduled to reopen on June 30.

Wine & Food Festival

Continued From Page 1

local artisans and festival sponsors.

“Last year, we sold out on Saturday with over 4,000 attendees. With this expansion, attendees will enjoy more space on the festival grounds with access to more vendors than ever. We are also providing free public access to Food Truck Alley for our guests who just want a bite to eat but may not be able to or wish to enter the ticketed festival grounds,” said Sasha Pardy, Adirondack Festival owner.

For a fourth time, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks (BBBS) is the festival beneficiary. A portion of every ticket sold is donated to the organization that provides mentorship, tutoring, and experiences to youth in Warren, Washington, and northern Saratoga counties.

BBBS operates the drop-off/pick-up tent, where guests can check the beverages and foods they purchase at the festival until they are ready to leave. They also provide over 60 festival volunteers, sell water bottles, and raffle tickets to gift baskets filled with goodies from festival vendors. Last year, over $23,000 was raised and ’s goal is even higher.

Throughout the weekend, attendees will enjoy culinary and cocktail demonstrations and competitions under the Taste NY culinary and cocktail tent. These segments feature the, owner of Hudson’s Private Chef Services, and resident mixologist Kelli Hatin, owner of Mixaritas Mobile Bartending and a SUNY Adirondack business professor, as they prepare food and drink made with ingredients supplied by festival vendors.

The festival has a two-day lineup of local solo musicians arranged by 518 Rock, plus the impressive Street Magic of TJ Clancy. Stilt walking and aerial work from Jessica Black returns, as

well as a fun photo booth.

Adirondack Brewery will be running a new biergarten this year, where festival attendees can purchase full glasses of Adirondack Brewery and Mean Max Beers, or Adirondack Winery wines. There will be a VIP tent, provided by situated where VIP ticket holders rent “glamping tents” for their private groups. These tents are provided and sponsored by Adirondack Safari in Warrensburg.

This year’s festival will have more vendors than ever.

“Our vendors hand-craft so many unique products you won’t find anywhere else. It’s fun to try something new, and it feels great to support local artisans by bringing your newfound favorites home with you,” said Pardy.

“We encourage attendees to come with families, and especially locals to attend on Sundays when there is more room to roam, a more laidback atmosphere and locals discount if you buy in advance. designated drivers get in for only $20 and Kids 15 and under get in free; and will enjoy access to food trucks, samples from artisan food vendors and non-alcoholic beverage vendors, and a kids activity tent located within the festival gates featuring several yard games, bubbles, crafts and more,” said festival director, LeighAnn Loftus. “There is also a natural playground and skatepark right outside our gates,”

Tickets will be available at the door; however, VIP and Saturday tickets have sold out in the past, and an exclusive locals ticket discount is available for Sundays when buying in advance, so advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Founded in 2014, Adirondack Festivals LLC is based in Queensbury and owned by Pardy, who is also the co-owner and president of Adirondack Winery, the presenting sponsor.

A restaurateur from Albany purchased the A&W restaurant in

Lake George

in

May

for

$605,000.

There are just seven A&Ws in New York state.

Muroff Hospitality

year-round Lake Luzerne property with 2 homes, 5 total bedrooms & 4 full baths, set on 1.37 acres & over 344 ft of usable Hudson River waterfront. Perfect Family Compound or Investment Property with strong rental history. Tri-level A-frame, large open living area, 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, bunkroom, game room & breathtaking views, wraparound decks, a hot tub, dock & float for water toys. The Cabin, purchased in 2022, with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, sweeping views, huge decks, waterfront dock & float, make this a perfect retreat. Two outbuildings for storage. Property equipped for off grid living with eco-friendly solar panels, Tesla energy storage batteries, modern heat pump for high efficiency heating, central air & 2 pellet stoves. Furnishings included & so much more!

Garage Sales In The Region Are Viewed As A Boost To Tourism And The Local Economy

year-round,” said Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president.

In Warren County, Lake George held a town-wide event in May and Thurman’s is set for Friday to Sunday, June 9-11. But the area’s biggest event, by far, is Warrensburg’s annual “World’s Largest Garage Sale” scheduled this year for Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.

“I was a kid when it first started,” said Doug Duell, Warrensburg High School principal. “I just remember the crush of people coming into town and not being able to get up and down Main Street. As I got older, we realized that it was an opportunity to make money to help supplement our income. First, we made breakfast sandwiches and hawked them in the street as cars were slowly going up and down Main Street. We also did a couple crafty things where it might have cost $6 or $7 to make something, but sold them for 20 bucks. All in all it was a good experience. The amount of people in town is a boost to the economy. It’s just kind of a fun couple of days to hang around and see some pretty cool things.”

Once word got out, the event skyrocketed from 20 sellers who took part in 1980, the first year, to the literally tens of thousands of people who descend on Warrensburg each fall, looking for bargains and unique items that can’t be found elsewhere.

“Main Street is primarily for vendors now, but you can certainly find great deals on some of the back streets,” Duell said. “I have a pretty good collection of power tools worth hundreds of dollars we’ve found over the years. It’s quite a savings when you’re only paying 10, 20 or 30 cents on the dollar.”

sales also help the environment by encouraging people to recycle items that might otherwise end up in landfills.

“Repurposed and recycled items have been a major trend lately,” Metzger said. “People love treasure hunting, especially for a good bargain.”

Jan and Paul Richmond, of Glens Falls, hit the garage sale trail almost every weekend in search of both practical and fun, unique items. They prepare by scanning local newspapers or go online to see where sales are being held, and what sellers have to offer.

“I look for clothes, sneakers and odd-ball stuff,” Jan said. “I used to look for knick-knacks, but now I’ve got too many of them. I want to get rid of some.”

Paul is always on the lookout for large stuffed animals and dolls that are displayed in front of the couple’s McDonald Street home. “I just like seeing people’s reactions when they drive or walk by,” he said. “Of course, I also buy some things that I try to re-sell.”

Unlike auctions, in which an auctioneer sells goods to the highest bidder, most garage sale transactions occur between an item’s original owner and a buyer. The private setting and personal nature of such transactions almost always involves pleasant social interaction as well.

BY PAUL POST

One of America’s favorite summer pastimes has nothing to do with baseball or backyard barbecues. Coast to coast, an estimated 6.5 to 9 million garage sales are held throughout the U.S. each year.

For some, it’s a fun way to earn an extra couple hundred dollars, but can provide an economic impact worth millions for communities that host town-wide events.

“It’s bringing people in to let them know what else we have to offer, like the Betar Byway (Hudson River walking trail) or the town Rec Park,” said Jean Gutheil, South Glens Falls-Town of Moreau garage sale coordinator. “Maybe they stopped in Stewart’s, Cumberland Farms, Common Roots brewery, The Pepper Mill Restaurant or Sorrentino’s market for a garage sale map. They might have bought a coffee, ice cream cone or stayed for lunch. It lets people know we’re back in business.”

This year’s sale, which dates back several years, was the first since the pandemic. More than 75 homes and organizations took part.

Similar town-wide events are held throughout the region, in addition to countless others hosted each weekend by individuals and neighborhood groups.

In Saratoga County, Charlton held a garage sale weekend in May, Ballston Spa’s was held June 10-11, while Galway and Greenfield hold theirs in August and September, respectively.

“As the weather gets warmer, more and more garage sale signs are popping up all over Saratoga County. Town-wide sales are a great way to get community members out and about, especially in some of the small towns and villages throughout the county. And we love it when those garage sale shoppers also take the opportunity to check out the unique small businesses such as restaurants and retail stores that keep these communities thriving

The sale, drawing people from throughout the Northeast, fills literally hundreds of hotel rooms, contributing greatly to the local tourism industry during the fall shoulder season.

“It has historically been a great event, bringing many people and vendors to the area on a weekend that might be slow otherwise,” said Amanda Metzger, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce marketing director. “We promote it on our website, through email and we keep a last-minute lodging list for it to help people find available accommodations.”

Chamber data shows that average daily tourism spending drops off sharply after Garage Sale Weekend. While most visitors come from the Capital Region and Metro New York, the event also attracts people the Burlington-Plattsburgh area, cities across upstate New York, throughout New England and even Philadelphia.

In addition to their economic benefits, garage

“Everybody chats. When they come to a garage sale they come to talk and have fun,” said Abigail Herlihy, who recently hosted a multi-family garage sale at her Ridge Street home in Glens Falls. “I really like all my pieces. So I enjoy knowing they’re going to someone else who will enjoy them, too, instead of getting thrown out right away.”

Throughout the year she puts unwanted things in boxes in anticipation of a summer garage sale. Most people already have more than enough Christmas decorations, but Herlihy has found that other holiday-themed items, from St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween, sell quickly.

“We also sold a lot of table cloths, napkins, dish towels, kitchen utensils, children’s books and family games,” she said.

With experience, she’s learned several tricks of the trade that make for a successful garage sale. “Everything should be off the ground,” she said. “Nobody wants to bend over to look at things. Have cloth items up high so they flutter and catch your eye. Have space enough that you can walk next to people and not worry about knocking things off the table. And have shade because it’s hot.”

Warrensburg’s annual World’s Largest Garage Sale is set for Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 this year. Tourism officials say many who attend take time to check out local businesses and activities.

Paul Post