PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
VOL. 32 NO. 07
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GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
SEPTEMBER 2020
YMCAs And Other Gyms, Now Open, Used Marinas On Lake George Report Booming Creative Ways To Keep Clients Engaged Business During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Brian Bearor, CEO of the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area, says the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) helped carry the facility financially until September.
Some marina owners on Lake George say they could not have anticipated the high demand for marina use the past few months have brought during the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy Margaret Martin
BY LISA BALSCHUNAT Use of online classes and parking lots kept some clients of local gyms and fitness centers participating in their exercise routines, but the lack of social connection was an important element that was lacking during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus. The state recently allowed gyms to reopen in late August. They had been closed since March 16. “Our members are coming back to the Y to get back into their daily routines, but in addition to the exercise, they are back because they’ve missed their friends and the socialization that happens here everyday,” said Brian Bearor, chief executive officer of the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area. In the summer, some 300 people interacted in with the Glens Falls Y at the children’s summer or gymnastics camps or through online classes, and some 220 employees were furloughed during the five
month freeze. “The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) carried us through until September and 50 percent of our members shifted their monthly membership to a donation status during that time to help the Y financially,” Bearor said. He indicated that the success of the Y’s annual fundraising campaigns this fall and winter will be crucial this year. With the startup of school in September, the Glens Falls Y will shift its after school programs back to the Glen Street facility and Adirondack Center in Brant Lake. Previously the staff was dispersed to 11 sites in the region. “It is the best way to manage a safe environment for our children,” Bearor said. With COVID-19 protocols in place the facility is clean. “It has never been a question of the Y not being a safe environment for our members preContinued On Page 6
Apples And Pumpkins Will Be Themes During Fall Lake George Appreciation Weeks The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce will showcase restaurant staffs as well as apple and pumpkin-themed food and drink during the new Fall Lake George Region Restaurant Appreciation Weeks. This year would have marked the 15th annual Lake George Region Restaurant Week semi-annual promotion in which participating restaurants traditionally offer a prix fixe threecourse meal for a set price that corresponds with the year. This promotion usually takes place during the slower-paced weeks in June and September. Officials said that instead of the prix fixe promotion, this year during what will be a twoweek promotion, participating restaurants will offer a mix of beverages, appetizers, entrées and desserts with specified themes as follows: Week 1, Sept. 13-19, apple themed food; and week 2, Sept. 20-26, pumpkin themed food. People who dine at participating restaurants and post pictures of their meals, beverages, or gift card purchases on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and write #DineLGR will be eligible to
win a $25 gift card. Each participating restaurant is offering a gift card as a prize. In addition, the Chamber will showcase the restaurant staff who have been working to provide people with safe and satisfying dining experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. “Amid current conditions and with feedback from our member restaurants, we wanted to reimagine this promotion into a creative event that would have a virtual component and encourage people to celebrate the people and ingenuity in the local restaurant industry,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gina Mintzer. So far, nine Chamber member restaurants have signed up to participate. Restaurants must be members of the Chamber to participate. The participants in Glens Falls, Queensbury and Lake George include: Adirondack Pub & Brewery, the Boathouse Restaurant, the Docksider Restaurant, the View at Dunham’s Bay, the Lobster Pot, the Log Jam Restaurant, Mario’s Restaurant, the Moose Tooth Grill and Park 26. Updates are available at lakegeorgechamber. com/restaurant_week.
BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH Area marina owners are fondly calling this the “summer of boating” as the 2020 season comes to an end. Many are saying they never could have anticipated the high demand for marina use the past few months have brought during the COVID-19 pandemic. From experienced boaters to rookies, those in the business said the season brought an unprecedented amount of people to water in search of a summer escape. In Bolton Landing, Norowal Marina manager
Sean Loonan said business has been non-stop since early spring. He believes the demand will continue well into the fall. “The best way to sum it up is that what used to look like weekdays now look like our weekends and what used to look like our weekends now looks like our holidays,” said Loonan. At Boats By George in Lake George, general manager Adam Pensel said business has been “incredible.” Pensel said the season started early, forcing Continued On Page 6
Beth Berlin Named Officer-In-Charge To Lead SUNY Empire State After Maltras Departure State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras has named SUNY Empire State College Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer Beth Berlin as officer-in-charge at SUNY Empire State following Malatras’ appointment as SUNY chancellor. Working with senior leadership at SUNY Empire, Berlin will continue the work begun under President Malatras to reform and streamline the college’s operations to enhance the student experience, increase access to higher education for more students, raise the public profile of the college, and build a solid financial foundation for future growth, college officials said. The SUNY Empire College Council will begin planning a presidential search immediately. Berlin brings extensive experience in education leadership, having served since 2013 as executive deputy commissioner of NYSED, before being named interim commissioner in 2019. She also previously served as acting commissioner in 2015. In that role, she managed the day-to-day operations of the Education Department, overseeing more than 700 school districts with 3.2 million students. She joined SUNY Empire in December 2019. “Beth is an experienced educational leader who has immersed herself in the operations of SUNY Empire, a distributed college with 16,000 students and locations in every region of the state,” said Malatras.
SUNY Empire State College has named its CEO Beth Berlin as officer-in-charge. Courtesy SUNY Empire State
“She has my trust and the trust of the college community to continue to extend SUNY Empire’s unique, flexible, and adaptable model of higher education to more students around New York state and beyond. I look forward to working closely with her and SUNY Empire as we move the SUNY system forward.” Continued On Page 14