PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
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GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
VOL. 27 NO. 7
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
SEPTEMBER 2015
Folwer Building In Downtown Glens Falls Is Annual Adirondack Balloon Festival To Feature Purchased; Fate Of Theater Remains Uncertain New Shapes During Its September Activities
JMZ Architects and Planners purchased the Fowler Building at 190 Glen St. in Glens Falls. The first floor housed Aimie’s Dinner and a Movie, whose owners have decided on a career change.
Humpty Dumpty, owned by Richard Lawhorn of Louisville, Ky., will be soaring during the annual Adirondack Balloon Festival in Glens Falls and Queensbury Sept. 17-20.
Photo/Todd Bissonette Photography
BY JILL NAGY After 14 years as tenants, JMZ Architects and Planners is now the owner of its downtown Glens Falls home at 190 Glen St. The company said it purchased the building on Sept. 1. The architects occupy the second and third floors of the three-story building. Until recently, the first floor housed Aimie’s Dinner and a Movie and Wallabee’s Jazz Bar, both owned by Kerry and Sandy Metivier. The Metiviers decided on a career change. JMZ bought the assets of those businesses and are looking for tenants to take over that space. So far, there are three tentative renters, according to Tenee Casaccio, president of JMZ. Sandy Metivier’s father, Bud Wolf, was the owner of the building. Upstate Model
Railroaders rent space in the basement but, Casaccio said, they may move. The purchase was partly a renewal of the firm’s commitment to downtown Glens Falls and partly a tribute to Robert Joy, who founded JMZ in 1977, Casaccio said. Joy was part of a group that purchased, renovated and resold a row of nine Warren Street buildings in the 1970s. Casaccio sees the purchase of the Glen Street building as “a wonderful legacy” that builds on Joy’s vision for the city. Known as the B.B.Fowler Building, 190 Glen St. began life as a department store. “Knowing that my grandparents shopped in the Fowler Building, I think there was Continued On Page 15
Courtesy Adirondack Balloon Festival
Nine new balloon shapes will be seen at this year’s Adirondack Balloon Festival set Sept. 1720 in Glens Falls and Queensbury. It is the 43rd annual event. This year, the logo is a maple leaf shape in autumnal tones with a moose, trees and hot air balloons silhouetted. The event will include balloons, including first-timers Snobird and Humpty Dumpty, owned by Richard Lawhorn of Louisville, Ky.; longtime crowd favorite Purple People Eater; Sunny Boy, reappearing after more than a decade away; BettyJean the butterfly, whose one visit to the balloon festival was during less-than-stellar weather and it was therefore only inflated briefly; Pandy the Panda Bear; Stinky the skunk; Pig Headed; and Joelly, the baby bee.
Organizers said special VIP parking will be available once again this year. Special designated parking at the airport’s main entrance is available for $15 for the weekend. Parking passes can be purchased online at www. adirondackballoonfest.org and passes may be purchased at Glens Falls City Hall in the clerk’s office, Queensbury Town Office , Warren County Municipal Center (treasurer’s office) and Warren County Department of Public Works offices in Warrensburg. The event kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. at Crandall Park in Glens Falls. Events continue through the weekend at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport (Warren County Airport). The Adirondack Balloon Festival is a Continued On Page 16
ARCC’s Inaugural ‘BusinessPulse’ Event Will The Hyde Collection Receives Its Largest Arts Showcase Businesses, Have Wellness Theme Gift In 30 Years From Schenectady Collectors The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold its first BusinessPulse on Oct. 29, a re-structured show to showcase the local business community. This will feature 8-foot by 10-foot booth areas with tabletop displays for easy set-up and teardown where businesses will be able to showcase their products and services. It is scheduled for 3-7 p.m. at SUNY Adirondack, 640 Bay Road in Queensbury. Chamber officials said it will promote an atmosphere for productive networking. The day will also feature door prizes, cash bar, complimentary food and drink samples from local restaurants and bars, and more. With the growth of the health and wellness sector of the region, Chamber members that are experts in these fields will be highlighted at this show. In April of 2014, the Chamber started a Workplace Health & Wellness Council committed to developing and sustaining a culture of wellness in the business community, building on the work and partnership with the Creating Healthy Places program through Glens Falls Hospital. Chamber officials said part of this year’s showcase will be a “Health Tip Challenge”.
Showcase participants will be searching out health tips from the various exhibitors. Also, during the showcase there will be demonstrations by a number of the health and wellness exhibitors, including cooking and physical activities demos. Organizers said the new venue will provide more exposure to exhibitors than ever before. Also planned are businesses providing information on financial health. All area businesses are encouraged to take part in the BusinessPulse, which will highlight the overall wellness of businesses, both physically and financially. To reserve booth space, go to www. adirondackchamber.org or call the Chamber at 798-1761. The BusinessPulse is sponsored by the Adirondack Trust Co., Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls National Bank & Trust, Mannix Marketing, National Grid, Six Flags Great Escape,Whiteman Chevrolet, Keena, and NBT Bank. The ARCC is a nonprofit, member-based business organization. It is an advocate for the economic success of its 1,000 member businesses, representing in excess of 23,000 people predominantly in Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.
The Hyde Collection recently received its largest gift of modern art in 30 years in the form of a group of paintings, drawings, prints, mixed media, and sculpture by many of the world’s leading modern artists. Museum officials said the collection of 55 works of art, including works by Josef Albers, Sol LeWitt, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Motherwell, Bridget Riley, Robert Rauschenberg, David Smith, and 38 other artists, was given to The Hyde by Werner Feibes and the late James Schmitt, architects and longtime art patrons, collectors, and friends of The Hyde. Feibes and Schmitt, partners in work and life, began collecting modern art in the 1950s. Their collection evolved over a half century, as they explored galleries in the United States and abroad, and developed personal relationships with artists and art dealers, Hyde officials said. “This is a transformational gift for The Hyde,” said Erin Coe, director of The Hyde Collection. “The museum is largely known as a collection of Old Masters. The donation from Werner Feibes and James Schmitt now makes us the leading repository of modern art in the region.” Prior to the donation, The Hyde’s collection of modern art was formed around two significant past donations. The first gift of 20th-century
This work, “Passport, 1967,” is part of a collection recently given to the The Hyde. art was made between 1992 and 1996 by the late Jane Murray and consists of 82 works. The second major gift was made between 1999 and 2008, by the late Nancy Sills and her husband Dr. Stephen Sills, totaling 45 works. “The Feibes and Schmitt gift significantly enhances our collection of Modern art,” said Coe. “It expands and strengthens its scope and depth and opens new doors for exhibition and Continued On Page 11