Saratoga Business Journal - August 2020

SBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Gideon Putnam Hotel Is Open Again After HVCC Plans New Building, Programs To COVID Health, Safety Issues Are Addressed Help Fill Shortages In Skilled Trade Workers

The Gideon Putnam Hotel in Spa State Park is open again featuring new health and safety standards aimed at helping keep guests and employees safe while slowing the spread of COVID-19.

The Gideon Putnam hotel in Saratoga Spa State Park re-opened Aug. 1 with the implementation of a comprehensive health and safety program.

The hotel has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials said the hotel has adopted the Rest Assured—Commitment to Care program, developed by Delaware North, which operates the Gideon Putnam for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

It features new health and safety standards

Courtesy Gideon Putnam

aimed at helping keep guests and employees safe while slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our guests and employees, and our Rest Assured program is focused on that,” said John Howard, general manager of the Gideon Putnam for Delaware North. “We’ve re-engineered our operating procedures to minimize contact risk and bolstered hygiene protocols to meet or exceed best-practice guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Continued On Page 17

This is a rendering of the proposed Applied Technology Education Center that will allow HVCC to expand its training of a skilled technical workforce.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Hudson Valley Community College is responding to the skilled labor shortage in the area and across the state by pursuing plans to build a new $65 million facility for skilled trades education.

The proposed 130,000-square-foot Applied Technology Education Center (ATEC) will allow the college to expand its training of the skilled technical workforce.

A capital campaign is underway, and a concept plan of the project has been prepared by

Courtesy JMZ Architects and Planners

JMZ Architects and Planners of Glens Falls.

Construction of ATEC, a net energy zero building, is in the planning phase. The architectural bidding process will begin in one to two months.

Officials said that within 10 years, ATEC will be able to graduate 4,877 technicians in a variety of fields, including mechatronics, plumbing, electrical, welding, HVAC and automotive. That would benefit areas including Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. UA Plumbers & Continued On Page 15

Local Group, Including NBA Star, Has Plans Monopoly Board Game Depicting Local To Develop Community Athletic Center Businesses Helps Raise Money For Nonprofits

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT Three area families from the Capital District have teamed up to develop plans for the construction of an athletic and community center on Route 146 in Halfmoon.

Since 2016, Chris and Andrea Litchfield, Joyce and Grantley McLeod, and Erin and Tom Huerter, have had visions of creating a sports and community center in their neighborhood. Now, collectively, they have created an $11.7 million project proposal with hopes of it becoming a community hub.

The project also includes the Heurters’ son, Kevin, forward/guard of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

A 2016 Shenendehowa graduate he was a standout at the University of Maryland and a first-round NBA draft pick in 2018.

“This isn’t a big corporate effort,” Andrea said.

“It’s three local families investing in a much needed athletic and community center. We want it to be a place all, from newborns to seniors.”

It would be called Impact Athletic Center.

Plans include six hardwood courts, a training room, two fitness studios, a recovery room with cryotherapy and massage chairs, a child care area and café.

Impact Athletic Center is slated to be a 73,000-square-foot indoor facility, with outdoor sand courts for volleyball and strength and conditioning resistance.

“I am stoked about this project,” said Huerter from his Georgia home. “I am in the process of establishing the Huerter Foundation to assist athletes with special needs.”

He intends to run programs and summer camps at Impact Athletic Center, “inclusive for all in the

Kevin Huerter of the Atlanta Hawks, is part of the Impact Athletic Center development group.

Courtesy Atlanta Hawks

community” not elite athletes. “I want to reach kids and athletes with special needs.”

Huerter was back in his hometown of Clifton Park during the COVID-19 lockdown, lifting weights in his family basement and shooting hoops with his sister in the driveway to keep up on his training.

Continued On Page 6

BY ANDREA HARWOOD PALMER The Adirondack Trust Co. Community Fund has created a Monopoly board game, specific to Saratoga Springs, is being sold to benefit nonprofits in the area.

The game—based on the classic board game played by millions over decades—is currently for sale in hotels and retail locations throughout Saratoga.

“This was primarily an effort on the part of our own community outreach managers, Leah Ferrone and Caroline Putnam, who work with the Community Fund; Rob Ward, who recently retired, and the board members of the Community Fund,” said Celia Vincek, digital marketing assistant at the Adirondack Trust Co. “Caroline has been down in the trenches with Leah and Rob, working on this project. Brian Straughter (Community Fund chair) has been a huge advocate for this project as well,” she said.

Putnam was chair of the Community Fund at the time of project implementation. She is now the board treasurer.

“It started with the Cooley Advertising Firm reaching out to the Chamber of Commerce.

Kathleen Fyfe was smart enough to know it would be a heavy lift. The project was brought to Adirondack Trust, in the marketing department, and made its way to Rob Ward and Leah Ferrone, who brought it before the Community Fund,” said Putnam.

Jeana Nicotera of the Cooley Group was the brainchild of this whole project, said Putnam.

“I immediately thought, ‘Wow, I think this is a great idea. I have no idea what’s involved, but I

A Monopoly game, based on the classic board game, is being sold locally. think this would be so much fun, to put the town of Saratoga on a board,’” said Putnam. “We were all very excited about it. We went to the bank to get their blessing, and they gave it completely.”

Nicotera has done this project before in other cities. She worked with Hasbro, the game publisher (the original Parker Brothers company was absorbed by Hasbro in 1991) to put the city Continued On Page 19

2 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

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Personnel Briefs

The Saratoga Automobile Museum announced that Abby Ingraham was hired as the new director of development.

Ingraham’s background and diverse experience in account management and building partnerships is anticipated to strengthen and expand current museum fundraising and sponsorships.

In addition, Ingraham will be responsible for overseeing the museum’s growing membership base.

Ingraham, a Capital Region native, attended The College of Saint Rose and holds a B.A. in public communications. She has worked for nonprofit associations over the past decade.

Her most recent position was with the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association in East Greenbush as director of associate memberships and partnerships. Prior to her role with the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, Ingraham was a senior account executive for ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association in Albany and Chicago.

Downtown Saratoga Marketplace Uses Its Downtime To Make Several Renovations •

TikTok and Reel channels. His goal is to market fun things to do in the Glens Falls region to the next generation.

* * * BST & Co. announced a series of new staff appointments at the Capital Region-based financial and management consulting firm.

Maggie Fleming was appointed a senior associate in the audit and accounting unit.

Fleming is responsible for the planning, supervision and review of audit and other attest engagements, as well as the preparation of basic and complex financial statements and all deliverables to clients.

Bailey Zweifel and Dan Beebie were appointed associates in the tax department.

They are responsible for performing tax services for clients, including preparation of tax returns, projections and provisions.

* * * KeyBank has hired Erica Choi as its senior vice president and senior banker in commercial banking for the Capital Region.

Choi is responsible for business development, portfolio management and acting as trusted adviser for commercial banking clients in the Capital Region and Northeast.

Choi previously worked for Bank of America in Albany as a middle market relationship manager. She has also worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Albany, as a senior brand manager for Beech-Nut Brand in Amsterdam, and as a senior associate brand manager for Kraft Foods in Glenview, Illinois.

Choi earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and chemistry from the U.S. Military Academy and served in the Continued On Page 18

* * * Mannix Marketing announced the addition of Cameron Cardinale to Mannix Marketing as a social media intern for GlensFalls.com.

Cardinale was hired as a social media intern in June, working closely with Liz Sutton, the social media manager at Mannix Marketing.

He drives traffic to local businesses through Instagram and is starting the first Glens Falls

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The interior of the Saratoga Marketplace, a shopping and dining staple in downtown Saratoga Springs. Owners used the recent economic closure to make modifications.

The Saratoga Marketplace, an indoor shopping and dining staple in downtown Saratoga Springs, has used the recent economic closure to modify the retail destination.

Updates have included interior and exterior changes to individual stores and common spaces as well as the addition of new and expanded businesses.

The two-story retail arcade has a restored tin ceiling, new interior painting and new lighting throughout. The property will continue with further updates in the coming months. The owners also added safety precautions for customer care while shopping, according to ownership.

A new bright and airy interior coordinates with the updated exterior courtyard complete with new turf lawn, tropical plants and spacious outdoor seating for Comfort Kitchen, the Night Owl and Tatu, the property’s restaurant establishments.

The space is home to more than 14 retail, lifestyle and restaurant properties. New businesses that have recently opened include Into Mischief, featuring gifts and home décor boutique; Saratoga Chocolate Co.; Bella and Lindy, a dog gifts and treats store; Studio Sweet, a furniture designer; and Saratoga CBD Wellness. Betsy Olmsted Designs, a local textile designer with who’s been featured in Country Living, House Beautiful and HGTV Magazine, opened her first brick-andmortar storefront on the main level.

The Saratoga Marketplace is home to art galleries including Frankie Flores, David Hill

©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

and Amp Gallery which features approximately 20 of the region’s top local artists. Lex and Cleo, which presents children’s clothing, gifts and toys has expanded in its new space at the front of the building. Also updated are Lucia, Paper Dolls, Pangea and Yoga Mandali.

The courtyard at Saratoga Marketplace connects the mall with its sister property, 17 Maple Ave., which has undergone extensive renovations over the last year, including the launch of the cocktail bar and dance club, The Night Owl. Tatu, an authentic Mexican restaurant, opened last fall on the newly renovated second floor.

The Aston, is a modern living space available for private bookings. The Aston sits on the third floor, above Tatu. The penthouse-style apartment has a rooftop patio, high ceilings with three bedrooms and 1.5 baths.

“The Marketplace and 17 Maple Ave. have reached the vision we have held for the last 20 years for these historic buildings,” said Mark Straus, co-owner of both properties. “The prevalence of young entrepreneurs occupying businesses within our walls is inspiring and a testament to how much incredible local talent our city produces.”

The Saratoga Marketplace is owned by Saratoga Historic Restorations, with Thomas Gardner and Straus as partners.

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Shop On Caroline Street In Saratoga Springs State Association Of Counties Says COVID Caters To People Seeking ‘Tailgating’ Supplies Impact Could Be Severe Over Next Two Years

Kirsten Lambert opened the Tailgate and Party Shop at 53 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs, offering picnic baskets, coolers and games for tailgaters, as well a complete line of party supplies.

BY JILL NAGY Kirsten Lambert almost skipped the “horserace stuff ” when she was stocking her new Saratoga Springs shop, the Tailgate and Party Shop at 53 Caroline St. Now, she finds, those products are “probably my best sellers.”

She said even though people cannot attend Saratoga Race Course in person, they are having “watch” parties at home with friends or may just want the souvenirs.

She has also sold more outdoor games than she anticipated, including cornhole and horseshoes.

The shop, which opened at the beginning of June, offers picnic baskets, coolers and games for tailgaters, as well a complete line of party supplies; hostess gifts, including washable paper bags; “an eclectic kind of goofy gifts” and candles.

A best seller is a wine tumbler with horses going around it. Far-sighted shoppers are grabbing up Saratoga-themed Christmas tree ornaments. We sell “parts for the party and entertainment for the entertainer,” Lambert said.

For now, the items in stock come from “literally all over the country” but, Lambert said, her priority is finding more local vendors. “The hardest part of getting

©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

started was figuring out where to order from.”

“Things are going well, considering,” she said. Crowds vary. “We had an amazing Friday,” she recalled, “and Sunday, no one.

It’s been very strange.” On the plus side, she noted, other local business people have been “very sweet,” helpful, and welcoming.”

This is Lambert’s first business venture.

She spent 25 years as a sixth grade social studies teacher in New Jersey. She and her family came to Saratoga every summer and she fell in love with the place. They moved to Saratoga Springs a year ago when she retired.

She said that she got the idea for the store when she was preparing an 80th birthday celebration for her mother. “I wanted to go find my mother 80th birthday plates and couldn’t even find them in the grocery store or anything and I was, like, ‘You know, we kind of need this.’”

The Tailgate and Party Shop is located on the corner of Henry and Caroline streets.

It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The telephone number is 518 8869015. The shop website is tailgateandparty. com.

The New York State Association of Counties released an updated economic impact report in late July that says counties and New York City face a catastrophic $13.5 billion loss in revenue over two fiscal years because of COVID-19 circumstances that could lead to significant cuts to services and permanent layoffs, slowing the economic recovery and threatening gains made against the virus.

“This is terrible news for New York and the United States as the taxpayers of New York are major donors to the United States Treasury,” an organization statement said.

The group said a U.S. Senate plan from the Republicans fails to deliver aid to state and local governments.

“While there are elements of this plan that are laudable, it simply does not deliver for our residents who will face cuts to essential services, or for the essential workers who fought this pandemic on the front lines and now face layoffs.

As Congress continues negotiations, we will remain laser focused on fighting to ensure that the final bill includes unrestricted and flexible aid to allow states and local governments to offset expenses and significant revenue loss attributable to COVID-19 so our essential workers can continue providing essential services,” said Dan McCoy, Albany County executive and president of the New York State Association of County Executives and County Executives of America.

“Counties have reached a critical juncture in which the loss of revenue due to reduced economic activity and increased expenses from COVID-19 response have pushed them to the breaking point. Without direct, flexible state and local aid, counties across the state will be forced to cut local services and programs including transportation infrastructure improvement projects, services like county libraries and parks, senior meals on wheels, and human service programs benefiting thousands of New Yorkers,” said John F. Marren, president of the New York State Association of Counties

and chairman of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors.

“Part of the economic recovery is investing in America’s future. We are out of time—Congress must act to provide significant aid to states and counties and they must do it now. State and local governments compromise nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product. Without federal assistance, counties will have no choice but to make layoffs permanent and eliminate local services – risking the health and well-being of our most vulnerable residents and jeopardizing the fragile economic recovery,” said Stephen J. Acquario, NYSAC executive director.

The report says: • Sales tax is the number one source of county revenue for nearly half of all counties and averages over 20 percent of local revenue • Over the next 12 months we project sales tax losses could be between $1 billion to $1.3 billion for the 57 counties (not including New York City). Including New York City, the sales tax losses over the next 12 months could reach $3.2 billion • Hotel occupancy taxes are down nearly 80 percent in most counties since COVID • Gaming revenues have stopped completely since COVID. For the next year we expect these revenue losses to range between $57 million to $86 million The report also notes that state and local governments are major employers and provide nearly 12 percent of all U.S. jobs. Economists have noted that in the last downturn, during the Great Recession, the federal government’s austerity approach and prematurely ending financial assistance to states and local governments contributed significantly to the slow recovery, both in employment terms and contributions to gross domestic product.

A bi-partisan group of county executives called on congressional leaders and the president to compromise on a new federal stimulus package that provides funding for states and local governments.

4 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

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SUNY Empire State Starts RN Certification Program To Help Address Nurse Shortages SUNY Empire State college has developed a new advanced certificate in nursing education to help address the looming shortage of nurses and nurse educators across the U.S. The flexible certificate program was designed for working professionals, consisting of four courses that can be completed entirely online in as few as two terms. The certificate will help those with a master’s degree in nursing improve their skills and marketability when pursuing teaching positions in academia or practice settings. Enrollment is currently open for fall 2020.

Colleges and universities across the country have been forced to turn away qualified applicants from undergraduate and graduate nursing programs due to an insufficient number of faculty, access to clinical sites, or budget constraints. According to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing (AACN), more than 75,000 qualified applicants were rejected from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2018, while nearly 3,000 were denied admission to doctoral programs.

As fewer colleges and universities are able to meet student demand, concerns about the country’s nursing shortage mount. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are currently three million nurses working in the United States, and by 2024 there will be more than one million vacancies for registered nurses.

This impending shortage means fewer nurses in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living and long-term care facilities, schools, clinics, in the military, and in homes.

“To help put more qualified nurses in the field and address this looming shortage, we need to start with nurse educators,” said SUNY Empire State College President Jim Malatras. “This flexible new program lets busy working nurses complete their courses online, and on their time, to advance their careers while helping to build a stronger nursing pipeline. SUNY Empire is proud to introduce this opportunity for the frontline workers of our healthcare system.”

“Across the country and around the globe,

we are experiencing a significant nurse educator shortage, and with pending retirements of nurse faculty, this situation will only get worse,” said SUNY Empire State College Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health Bridget Nettleton.

“We need to prepare new nurse educators to teach nursing now and into the future. This postgraduate certificate in nursing education will help us achieve that goal.”

To further address and attempt to mitigate this crisis and meet workforce demands, SUNY Empire recently signed transfer pathway agreements with Hudson Valley Community College, North Country Community College, and Sullivan County Community College to lower barriers to education, and help students complete their degrees in less time and less cost.

Last fall, SUNY Empire welcomed 96 transfer students from Nassau Community College.

The seamless transfer from Nassau’s associate degree program to SUNY Empire’s RN to bachelor of science in nursing program was developed to help fulfill an urgent need for nurses in clinical placements on Long Island. Upon completion of the program, nursing students will satisfy the state’s requirement for registered nurses to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The School of Nursing and Allied Health at SUNY Empire State College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including an RN to bachelor of science in nursing, a bachelor of science in allied health, a master of science in nursing administration, and a master of science in nursing education.

SUNY Empire State College educates more than 17,000 students in person, online, and through a blend of both, at more than 30 locations in New York and at eight international sites worldwide. Together with one of SUNY Empire’s more than 1,300 faculty mentors, each student designs their own individualized pathway to a college degree that accommodates their schedule and awards credit for prior college-level learning.

SUNY Empire awards more than 3,000 degrees annually and 94 percent of graduates stay in New York state.

Saratoga Hospital Officials Say Pooled Testing For COVID-19 Having Strong Local Results

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A team of Saratoga Hospital doctors and laboratory professionals say they have demonstrated that pooled testing for COVID-19 can save time, preserve scarce resources and improve safety for patients and staff.

At a time when hospitals nationwide are hampered by shortages of testing materials, pooled testing has enabled Saratoga Hospital to test all patients before they’re admitted and isolate those who have the novel coronavirus, according to officials.

Pooled testing combines samples from several low-risk people in a single vial. If the test is negative, everyone whose sample was combined has tested negative for COVID-19—using supplies for only a single test. If the test is positive, each person must be retested individually.

The approach was first reported in Germany and the University of Nebraska.

Saratoga Hospital started pooled testing in the Capital Region with a pilot program in April.

According to the hospital, since then: • Saratoga Hospital has conserved over 2,150 test cartridges.

• The state Department of Health granted emergency use authorization for Saratoga Hospital’s protocol, clearing the way for other facilities to adopt Saratoga Hospital’s approach.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its first emergency use authorization for sample pooling in diagnostic testing.

Results of Saratoga Hospital’s pilot program were published this month in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

“The strategy of pooled testing has allowed us to continue to immediately test all admitted patients, thus improving patient care,” said David Mastrianni, senior vice president of Saratoga Hospital Medical Group and lead author of the journal article, “Pooled

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitalized Patients.” Contributing authors include Drs. Richard Falivena, Timothy Brooks, Brian McDermott, Josenia Tan, Michael Holland and Administrative Director of Laboratory Services Richard Vandell, all of Saratoga Hospital.

“We believe pooled testing is a valuable tool during a time of limited resources,” Mastrianni added. “This strategy can be used by other community hospitals and may have applications for testing additional low-risk groups, including healthcare workers and clients of occupational medicine services.”

Patients who come to the Saratoga Hospital Emergency Department and need to be admitted for care are immediately assessed for COVID-19. Depending on their symptoms and other medical indications, patients are identified as at low or high risk for the disease, officials said.

Low-risk patients are tested using the pooled approach: Swabs from up to five patients are placed in a single testing vial that can be analyzed in-house by the Saratoga Hospital lab team. Patients that have tested negative are assigned to units with other COVID-free patients.

High-risk patients receive a single sendout test and are considered “persons under investigation” while the hospital awaits their results. Depending on their condition, these patients are admitted either to the intensive care unit or a special COVID unit.

Officials said the two-tiered approach helps ensure that COVID and non-COVID patients are isolated from each other and receive the appropriate care. The strategy also reduces both patient and staff anxiety.

“Like many others, we have observed that public fear of entering the hospital during this pandemic has caused delays in patients seeking care for non-COVID-19 conditions,” he said. “Our impression is that testing all admitted patients has been reassuring to our community and will help reduce those fears.”

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 5

Wired Coffee Moves From Malta Location Malta Business Community Alliance Unveils Into Space Within Revamped Roosevelt II Spa Website To The Community And Businesses

Nitro Cold Brew is made by Wired Coffee and distributed by DeCrescente Distributing Co. in Mechanicville. It is sold at Stewart’s Shops and on many college campuses.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Two months after announcing the permanent closure of their location in Malta, Wired Coffee Roasters has opened a coffee shop in the newlyrenovated Roosevelt II Baths and Spa in Saratoga Spa State Park.

The ribbon cutting took place on July 20.

According to owner Marty Michele (pronounced Michael), the closing of the Malta location was heavily influenced by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had a nice run there, but it just wasn’t viable for us to survive,” he said.

Although the Malta closure was unexpected, Michele said plans to open a shop in the park were already in motion. He received notification in February that Wired had won a statewide bidding process and had been selected to occupy space in the Roosevelt II. As part of their agreement, the park receives a portion of monthly sales in lieu of rent.

“That gives us a greater chance to succeed,” said Michele. “We don’t have to worry about how we are going to make rent each month. It’s very accommodating.”

Because the shop is just 500 square feet, they will no longer be serving made-to-order food. Instead, they will offer a wide variety of beverages as well as grab-and-go foods, including salad and grain bowls from 9 Miles East and cookies from Sweetly Kara. By eliminating the food preparation aspect of the business, Michele will be able to focus on his

Courtesy Wired Coffee

passion for coffee roasting.

“I’m a coffee roaster. Once I started roasting, I was hooked,” he said. “At the new shop, we can zero in on the coffee. The coffee that we serve is all fair trade and all organic. I get them straight from the countries—straight from origin. We’re pretty close to being farmer direct.”

Michele sources his beans from Indonesia, Cost Rica, and various African countries. He roasts the beans in small batches at his roastery in Glenville and plans to sell his bagged coffees online in the near future.

Wired Coffee is served at restaurants including the Cock ‘n Bull and 677 Prime.

Michele’s brother, Matt, owns Wired Coffee and Bagel on Albany Shaker Road in Albany.

They operate their cafes independently, but are partners in the coffee aspect of the business. They are currently working on making Wired’s Nitro Cold Brew a national brand. The canned cold brew is distributed by DeCrescente Distributing Co. in Mechanicville. It is sold at both Wired locations as well as at Stewart’s Shops and on many college campuses.

“We have some partnerships in the works that could catapult us to next level,” said Michele.

According to Michele, Saratoga Spa State Park visitors are excited by the presence of a coffee shop within the park. Initial sales have been encouraging.

Wired Coffee Roasters is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. To order online, visit www.clover.com/onlineordering/wired-coffee.

The Malta Business Community Alliance (MBCA) has launched a website to promote the benefits of doing business in the community.

The new website is the culmination of an effort, led by Malta businesses/residents, officials said.

According to the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County/Capital Region Chamber, it is the first initiative of the recently formed Alliance, which is the new name for the former Malta Business and Professional Association after it affiliated with the combined chambers.

At a meeting with local business community representatives on Feb. 27 at Bryant & Stratton College, development of a website was identified as a top priority by the businesses in attendance.

Despite the ensuing COVID-19 crisis, which prevented subsequent face-to-face meetings, the website team, assisted by the Capital Region Chamber, worked to develop the website.

Kimberly Hickok of Marketing Kangaroo assisted with web development. Pamela Grandin, owner of Clipcorner Business Solutions in Malta, and Pete Bardunias, Chamber senior vice president, community advancement, provided content.

“The intent of the website is to showcase the variety of businesses operating in the town of Malta,” said Hickok, who lives and works in Malta.

“We worked together as a team, and have made a website that we hope will help people find needed products and services within our town and also gain a greater appreciation for this wonderful community.”

“Having a website dedicated to Malta businesses has been long needed, both for the business community and for the community at large,” said Grandin. “It’s satisfying to see the vision and dedication of business owners and residents come together through the Malta Business Community Alliance to produce this website. This is just the beginning of a larger movement to support and grow the Malta community.”

As released, version 1.0 includes listings for all Malta businesses associated with the former MBPA and the CSSC/Capital Region Chamber.

Every business located in Malta is welcome to

Kimberly Hickok was part of the development team for the MaltaNYBusiness.com website.

Courtesy Chamber of Southern Saratoga County/Capital Region Chamber

have a complimentary listing on the site. The site includes a link to the Malta town website for general, emergency services and parks and recreation information; a link to the MBCA Facebook page; and business and community information.

Officials said MaltaNYBusiness.com will evolve based on input to add more robust features to make this site an even more powerful tool.

Though large group meetings remain prohibited due to the coronavirus crisis, virtual meetings will be held to review ideas and determine next steps.

“We are very proud of the hard work that residents and business owners within the town have put into this project, as they are the driving force behind the work of the MBCA,” said Bardunias.

The MBCA is a volunteer-led committee of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County (CSSC), exclusively focusing on the Malta area.

For more information on the MaltaNYBusiness. com website, email pbardunias@ capitalregionchamber.com or call (518) 431-1408.

6 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

Malta Drive-In Still Getting Cars In For Movies, Using Other Ways To Bring People In

Malta Drive-In on Route 9 in Malta is getting people to come in to see older movies, with social distancing spacing, as first-run movies are not being released during COVID-19.

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BY JILL NAGY Business at the Malta Drive-In theater is “not near where we were last year,” noted coowner Ed Caro, but, he added, “I’m glad I’m not an indoor theater. I’d be glad to see half of last year’s income. Fifty percent is better than zero percent.”

Last year, the drive-in was showing firstrun films from the major studios. This year “the studios are not releasing,” he said. With some 300 drive-in theaters nationwide and no functioning indoor movie theaters, it is not worth it for a studio to release new films.

On a recent weekend, Malta Dive-in was showing two golden oldies from the 1970s on one screen, “Grease” and “American Graffiti.”

On the other screen, they offered two new independently-produced film, “The Lentil” and “The Big Ugly.”

A big draw this season was not a conventional movie at all but a filmed concert by Garth Brooks, At $100 a carload, Caro said. Other filmed concerts are planned for August and September. In addition, live bands play before some of the movies.

The drive-in has also hosted three high school graduation ceremonies and a senior movie night. There was a free First Responders’ night, some corporate events and some benefits for the local food bank and other organizations.

“You basically have to invent the event,” he said, “It’s difficult.”

The facility has space for 400 cars, but these days they are spaced out more widely for social distancing. The snack bar and restrooms are open, with modifications. Masks are required.

Only every other stall or sink is available in the restrooms. Snack bar traffic is directed one-way only. Caro said that the Department of Health reviewed the plans and inspected the facility and were pleased with what they found.

The Malta Drive-in has been in business since 1949, when Malta was little more than a dot on the map. Caro and his brother, Tom, have owned it since 1988. “We’ve seen Malta go from one traffic light to multiple roundabouts,” he said. In addition to the Caro brothers, there are 15 employees.

For information about shows and other events, call 518 587-6077.

Impact Athletic Center

Chris said the proposed facility, presented under Litchfield Holdings LLC, also will be available to the community for special events, meetings, team building events, trade shows and more.

“We [plan] to offer First Aid, CPR and AED classes, driver education courses, SAT/ACT prep, and classes on the recruiting process,” he added.

The project development team includes Lansing Engineering, Malta; Paone Architecture, Saratoga Springs; and Munter Enterprises, Middle Grove.

An anticipated completion date is in late spring 2021.

Continued From Page 1

The genesis of Impact began in 2016. Chris, a longtime local coach and former Siena basketball player, said a practice facility for student athletes, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and club sports has been lacking in the area. “Because our family has always been passionate about sports, it was an easy decision for us to put our combined energies into Impact,” he said.

Editor Emeritus Rod Bacon Sales and Customer Service Harry Weinhagen Production Manager Graphic Precision Photographer Stock Studios Photography Contributing Writers Susan Campbell Jill Nagy Jennifer Farnsworth Christine Graf Andrea Palmer Lisa Balschunat Saratoga Business Journal is published monthly, the second week of each month, by Weinhagen Associates, LLC and mailed to business and professional people in Saratoga county.

Saratoga Business Journal is independently owned and is a registered tradename of Weinhagen Associates, LLC, P.O. Box 766, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 (518) 581-0600. Saratoga Business Journal is a registered tradename in New York.

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SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 7

Insightpath Formed To Help Companies Shelters Of Saratoga Hires Duane J. Vaughn Organize Feedback From Customers, Others As Its New Director Effective This September

Joe Tyler, left, and Terry Nawrot created Insightpath, which companies can use to collect and organize feedback from customers, prospects or employees through live interviews.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH Many businesses, both large and small, need customer feedback to be successful.

In response to the need, Insightpath LLC, was cofounded by Terry Nawrot, CEO, and Joe Tyler, CTO. The Saratoga company has developed a system for businesses to gather feedback from their customers in an organized and efficient way that will allow for improved customer satisfaction.

Nawrot said in her experience running a business, she found that she needed something that would collect and organize feedback from both customers and employees through live interviews. She and Tyler worked hard to develop a product that efficiently takes customer feedback and turns it into information that can aid businesses in various ways.

“We spent a lot of time with customers and employees to capture feedback to use in strategic planning, using spreadsheets, Word documents, and back and forth emails.

We knew there was a better way and so this solution provides a streamlined process to conduct interviews with fewer disconnects. The product is really about providing guidance,” said Nawrot.

The platform they created is not about taking online surveys, but instead is about speaking to people and getting real feedback,

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whether is good or bad.

“Sometimes business owners don’t want to hear the negative, but that is often what is needed to grow the business,” said Nawrot.

Insightpath officially opened last month and Nawrot said they already have a mix of clients.

She said clients like that the platform allows them to help companies build relationships with customers and employees by providing quick feedback that leads to a faster turnaround time for changes that may need to be made.

Once the data is reported through the Insightpath platform, they are able to analyze the results for the client. The platform includes four plans, including a free basic one.

“We have options for businesses, including three paid plans that really allow for businesses to find what best works for them,” said Nawrot.

The virus pandemic, as with everything else, had an effect on when the office was able to open. Originally, Nawrot said they were slated to open in April.

“Fortunately our clients are able to engage over the phone and through the internet, which is obviously very useful given the pandemic,” she said.

The team includes the two founders, both working from home. The official location is 19 Railroad Place, Suite 204, in Saratoga Springs.

For more information about Insightpath, LLC, visit www.insightpath.io.

Shelters of Saratoga (SOS), homeless service providers and operator of Saratoga County’s Code Blue program, has hired Duane J. Vaughn as its new executive director.

Vaughn starts on Sept. 7.

He joins the SOS team with significant nonprofit leadership experience. He served as executive director for the Tri-County United Way for the last four years and was previously the executive director for 13 years of WAIT House, an emergency and transitional shelter program for homeless youth in Glens Falls.

With the WAIT House, he opened the emergency shelter program in December of 2003 and the transitional living program for homeless pregnant and parenting youth in July of 2010.

“We are confident that Duane’s leadership will help Shelters of Saratoga continue to expand and strengthen its mission of providing individuals with safe shelter, supportive services and sustainable strategies to end homelessness in the Greater Saratoga region,” said Peter Capozzola, board chair for Shelters of Saratoga.

“Duane’s many talents, collaborative approach and wide-ranging experience will help us accelerate opportunities for long-term sustained housing for Saratoga Springs’ most vulnerable population. He’ll be an asset to the community, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him lead our organization.”

Vaughn serves on the board of directors for the New York State United Way and on the Steering Committee of the Saratoga Warren Washington Counties Community Organizations Active in Disaster.

Previously, he has served as a board of director for the Warren Washington Association for Mental Health and cochair of the Warren Washington County Transportation Committee. Vaughn has also been a voting member of the OCFS

Duane J. Vaughn is the new executive director at Shelters of Saratoga.

Courtesy Shelters of Saratoga

Runaway Homeless Youth Advisory Board and served on their steering committee.

He has served as a member of the Capital Region and North Country Human Trafficking Task Force, Washington County Children’s Mental Health Committee, Saratoga/North Country Continuum of Care as Executive Committee member and Steering Committee chair, Warren Washington Housing Coalition (past chair), The Adirondack Non-Profit Business Council (past chair) and has served as councilman for the town of Fort Ann. He graduated from Fort Ann High School and SUNY Oneonta with a B.A. in psychology.

“I am truly excited to begin working with the dedicated staff and board of directors of Shelters of Saratoga. The Saratoga community is invested in solving complex issues for populations that are vulnerable and at-risk, and I am thankful that I will be able to be a part of that collaborative process.”

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SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL

8 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

SPECIAL SECTION

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL

Workplace / Legal •

Business Report How Secure Is Your Business?

BY ROB SHAUGER Most businesses these days are very aware of security threats and have policies in place to keep themselves protected. However, even with these policies in place, there are many seemingly-innocent documents that are often forgotten about that can leave your business open to security breaches.

Here are five documents you should be shredding, but probably aren’t: 1. Junk mail. While junk mail seems harmless, enough personal data is usually included for identity thieves to use against you.

For example, names and addresses are inserted into pre-approved credit card applications. It would be all too easy for a person to send in these applications and use them for their own personal gain.

2. Photos. Photos of employees, customers, and suppliers may seem harmless, but thieves can use these photos to make up an identity.

Combine this with any other personal information they may have collected from your business, and you could be in trouble. Keep your employees and customers safe by shredding these photos instead of tossing them into the garbage.

3. Hiring information. When people apply for jobs a hard copy of their resume and other documents containing personal information is often left behind. This information would be all too easy for identity thieves to take advantage of.

Keep these applications in a locked location and shred when no longer needed.

4. Shipping Labels. Shipping labels include confidential information such as your business’s address and account numbers. Mail room employees should always remove and securely shred these labels before boxes or packages are broken down and recycled.

5. Post-it notes. Post-it notes are a staple in any office. They are easy to grab and jot down

•

Rob Shauger is director of sales and development at ConfiData.

Courtesy ConfiData

information when on a call or collaborating with a coworker. Many times what is written on these notes are passwords, account numbers, and other confidential information. Yet when they are no longer needed they are often just thrown into the trash. Keep yourself protected by shredding these notes instead.

Implementing a sound security policy and training employees on those policies is a great first step to keeping your business safe. Enlisting the help of a reputable document destruction company can help ensure your shredding protocols are up to snuff and that no potentially harmful documents are falling through the cracks.

If your business handles personally identifiable information, it is important to keep the information secure in order to protect your clients.

This includes patient records, employment records, loan applications, tax forms, medical forms, credit card applications, and more. Security breaches

•

Business Report During Trying Times, Stop And Listen

•

BY JAMES MARCO One need not look far to find turmoil, conflict, anger, and in some cases aggression in today’s climate. We can blame it on a lot of things, the George Floyd incident, the coronavirus pandemic, or other reasons.

We hear about shaming, the “cancel culture,” conservatives, liberals, and so on. These issues are dividing friends, families, communities and workplaces.

Many companies have received negative press and have had employee backlash for not releasing a statement that they felt was appropriate for the current issues facing our society. Executives have been fired for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and igniting a firestorm on social media as a result. Companies don’t like the negative press and poof! Executive gone.

Have you ever been accused of something that you felt was untrue? How did you feel? Were you defensive, maybe a little angry?

All of this controversy has brought issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, racism to the forefront.

But while controversy swirls and accusations fly, there seems to be one thing missing. Are we stopping, even for a moment, and listening?

Let’s just peel off one topic, for the sake of brevity. Let’s mention diversity. Encyclopedia.com discusses workplace diversity initiatives as having one or many of the following goals: Fostering awareness and acceptance of human differences; fostering a greater understanding of the nature and dynamics of individual differences; helping participants understand their own feelings and attitudes about people who are different from themselves; exploring how differences might be tapped as assets in the workplace So, these can be differences of opinion, experience, education, training, values, traditions, motivations, and so on. Diversity is not just superficial, it’s not just skin color, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.

It is about understanding the individual, and what makes them who they are, and creating an environment in the workplace where that person has an opportunity to contribute those talents and skills that make them unique.

We may have them for weeks, several years, or a lifetime, and never take advantage of what else might be in that “tube” of experience, talent, insight, and knowledge. We are worse off for it.

So, how do we get to a place where we can

appreciate each other, appreciate our differences, and learn from each other? Stop and listen.

Dale Carnegie, in his book “How To Win Friends and Influence People” says that the best way to be considered a good conversationalist is to listen to someone by giving them your “exclusive attention … nothing is as flattering as that.”

Steven Covey in his book “The Seven habits of Highly Effective People” talks about empathetic listening. “If you listen, truly listen, without pretense, without guile, you will literally be stunned at the information that will flow to you from another person.”

There are a few ground rules here. Own your thoughts, opinions, insights, and emotions. “This is how I feel, and here is why.”

There are no accusations in that sentence, nothing to put someone on the defensive. Invite the other person to tell you their story, and understand their view on a topic. And have enough respect to give that person your undivided attention. It’s a sign of respect, and the person you are speaking with will realize that you have treated them with respect.

These conversations don’t have to have winners and losers, right and wrong. That’s what is causing so much conflict these days, someone has to be right, someone has to be wrong. Someone is good, someone is bad. Don’t make assumptions about the other person’s motives. Clear your mind and listen.

are a real and large threat to businesses of all sizes and across all industries.

The average total cost for companies who suffered a data breach of more than 50,000 records cost an average of $10.3 million. Think your company is too small to have a data breach really affect you? Think again. According to an IBM study, data breaches involving small businesses can cost a staggering $4.5 million. Data breaches small or large also tarnish your company’s hardearned trustworthy reputation, making it harder to gain new clients even years down the road.

While many people associate data breaches to cyber terrorists and online hackers, the truth is often times data breaches occur from improper handling or disposing of personal documents.

Thieves target paper documents and use the information to open fraudulent accounts.

Information can also be recovered from computer hard drives that have been improperly disposed of. Simply throwing away hard drives without proper destruction could leave your business (and clients) at considerable risk. If the thief has access and the knowledge, they can wreak havoc on a business.

Do you rip up credit card offers when they come in the mail? If your answer is no because you shred credit card offers, good for you.

Right now your office probably has a policy that sends confidential documents to the shredder and non-confidential paper to the recycling bin.

But who is deciding what’s confidential and nonconfidential, and are you sure that the confidential papers are really getting shredded?

When it comes to security, employees are often our greatest assets and our biggest liabilities.

A well-trained staff can have an exponentially positive impact on data security, just as poorly trained staff can negatively affect your patients’ and clients’ privacy.

This is the main reason that the federal guidelines for designing a financial safeguards program and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework both stress the importance of ongoing employee training as crucial to data security. Even the most sophisticated software programs cannot keep your sensitive data safe if your employees are not following your privacy and data security guidelines.

The best way to minimize your company’s risk of data breaches is to have strict document handling and disposing protocols. Utilizing a commercial shredding service can help to ensure that the right documents are disposed properly and in accordance with any regulations in order to keep your business safe.

James Marco, president of Saratoga Human Resources Solutions Inc. Courtesy Saratoga Human Resources Solutions

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 9

Pinnacle HR Relocates Offices While Helping Saratoga National Bank Opens New Office In Others Redo Space, Policies During COVID Latham, The 12th Branch For The Company

BY JILL NAGY Pinnacle Human Resources last month moved into new offices in Albany.

They now occupy the fourth floor of a coworking space at 418 Broadway called the Beahive. The new space reflects some of the requirements of operating in the midst of the COVID pandemic. The space is divided into two offices and an executive suite and has space that can be isolated by rolling dividers to create a training area.

Pinnacle serves companies in Saratoga and Warren counties. In all, the company has 23 employees, 20 of whom are HR professionals.

“We need space that is fluid and flexible,” said Rose Miller, company president. The desks are spaced 10 feet apart and each one is supplied with hand sanitizer and its own telephone.

“I don’t need an office that houses 23 people,” she said. Most of the work is done at clients’ sites and six desks in Albany are sufficient. A training area is something Miller has wanted for a long time and for the first time, she was able to create it.

The kinds of work the company does also reflects changes due to the pandemic. Clients want advice about restructuring their space, bringing their employees back to work, dealing with employees who refuse to wear masks and similar problems.

“You can mitigate a lot of risk if you have an HR pro in your back pocket,” she said.

A current big seller is a smartphone app that enables employees to check in from home before coming to work, she said. Each day, employees can register their temperatures and respond to a list of questions. The report goes to the employer before the employee is permitted to come to work. Pinnacle can help set it up and customize it for each individual employer.

Pinnacle also produces “tons of webinars,” according to Miller. They bring employers up to date on laws and regulations and provide tips

A training room is part of the new office space for Pinnacle Human Resources.

Courtesy Pinnacle Human Resources

on keeping everyone safe at work.

“It’s taking up every working moment,” Miller said. She cannot imagine an employer who tries to do it his or herself having time left over to operate a business.

Other services the company provides include employee handbooks, compensation systems, sexual harassment and diversity training programs, and merger assistance. A growing area is a leave-of-absence administration service.

The main advantage to using Pinnacle, Miller said, is that “employers can call us when they need us.” They enjoy “flexibility and scaleability.”

She sees more employers seeing the need for good HR assistance without creating an inhouse department.

More information is available on the company’s website, pinnaclehrllc.com or by telephone at 518 486-8152.

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Saratoga National Bank is expanding again with a new 3,000-square-foot office for business development and a new branch in Latham.

David DeMarco, bank CEO and president, said the bank is leasing an office at 11 Century Hill Drive as its Capital Region business development office.

The new space is bringing eight of its employees that had been working out of various branches together.

The centralization comes as the bank’s newest branch opens at 545 Troy Schenectady Road in the space formerly occupied by Panda Express. The branch is 2,200 square feet with a full lobby and five offices. It will be the 12th branch for the company.

DeMarco said the decision came along months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Saratoga National’s employees to work remotely for months.

Patricia Netoskie was named as vice president and branch manager for its new Latham branch opening soon at 545 Troy Schenectady Road.

Netoskie will oversee operations and develop banking relationships for the new Latham office. She brings many years of previous financial services experience to Saratoga National, most recently in banking, and previously in the insurance and human resources industries.

She can be reached at patricia.netoskie@ arrowbank.com or by phone at (518) 7602861.

Netoskie is a member of the Colonie Chamber of Commerce and is active in her community, previously serving as a board member for Project Link and for the Latham Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.

About the development office, DeMarco said as the bank has added commercial lenders, mortgage originators, business

Patricia Netoskie is branch manager for Saratoga National Bank’s new Latham office.

Courtesy Saratoga National Bank

development officers and wealth management officers, the company felt it was important to have them centrally located.”

“This was planned and we probably started working on this over a year ago,” DeMarco said. “Obviously, the COVID-19 shutdown did have an impact on getting it completed. Once construction was allowed to start back up they were able to continue the project.”

Saratoga National Bank has been growing beyond its roots in Saratoga County since 2013, opening branches in Schenectady, Troy and Colonie. Last year, the bank opened its 11th branch in Rotterdam.

DeMarco said the COVID-19 pandemic has put a pause on future expansions for now. But there are communities that are being eyed for future new branch locations.

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10 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

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SPECIAL SECTION

Environment / Development Developers Working On Expansion Of Sitwell Company Providing Renewable Energy Plaza in Malta; New Are Tenants On The Way Services Worldwide Has Local Office, Staff

Local developer and engineer Scott Lansing is partnering with the Jersen Construction Group of Waterford on an expansion of Sitwell Plaza, a mixed-use property off Route 9 in Malta.

BY ANDREA HARWOOD PALMER Local developer and engineer Scott Lansing is partnering with the Jersen Construction Group of Waterford on an expansion of Sitwell Plaza, a mixed-use property off Route 9 in Malta.

Sitwell Plaza is comprised of three buildings. Two are built and occupied by tenants. The expansion involves building a third—a 12,000-square-foot structure that is under construction.

Lansing, founder of Lansing Engineering in Malta, said he has a “great working relationship” with Dave and Ken Jersen.

“We’ve been working together about 10 years or so now on other properties. They were and are integral to this project,” he said.

“They’re an excellent construction group. They can help with the building, design and management aspect of projects.

Our strengths and weaknesses on both ends seem to balance each other out,” said Lansing. “It’s been a great partnership the

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whole way.”

The plaza will have several new tenants.

A 4,250-square-foot space previously occupied by Wired Coffee Roasters will be taken over by Active Ingredient Brewing Co. The town of Malta recently issued a special use permit for the brewery.

“Active Ingredient will be an amazing addition to the plaza, and we’re very excited to have them come in. They’re talking about a late winter or early 2021 opening. They’re being smart about it,” said Lansing.

A nutritional drink company is also opening its doors in the next couple of months, he said. Other space will be available for additional tenants. Current tenants include a barber shop, nail salon, pet salon, Domino’s Pizza, a dentist and fitness facility.

Sitwell Plaza has 5,000 square feet currently available for lease in the existing buildings.

A daycare tenant is slated to go into the new building and others are pending.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Since opening its U.S. headquarters in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2009, Natural Power has been providing renewable energy consulting services to customers throughout the country.

The Scotland-based company has worked on projects in 42 countries.

According to Jim Adams, president of North America operations, Natural Power works on largescale utility generating systems and focuses primarily on wind and solar projects. They have engineers, atmospheric scientists, ecologists, and biologists on staff.

The company specializes in risk assessment of renewable energy projects. Their client base includes large banks and private equity firms. For these clients, Natural Power functions as what Adams describes as independent engineers.

“We will certainly work on behalf of someone who is building a commercial generating facility, but the lion’s share of our business is doing the independent engineering,” he said. “In cases where the project is getting close to going into construction, we are providing an independent review of the viability of the project and the risk associated with the project on behalf of the folks that are investing in that project.”

When contracted by a company that is building a facility, Natural Power acts as the “owner’s engineer.” They provide assistance in all aspects of the project including design, layout, permitting, and environmental reviews.

The company also works on projects related to energy storage which is used to store excess energy that is produced by facilities that produce electricity.

According to Adams, there is a “big push” in New York to promote energy storage. The state’s Clean Energy Standard requires 50 percent of New York’s electricity to be generated by renewable source by 2030. Millions of dollars of incentives have been made available for energy storage projects throughout the state.

Discussing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on business, Adams said, “We have had to get creative in how we deal with site visits, but it has largely been business as usual. We are a tech firm and are used to working remotely.”

Although the pandemic has not impacted the company directly, it has led to construction delays of renewable energy projects. These delays have created some uncertainty within the industry.

“It was a little rocky earlier in the year,” said Adams.

“We were not sure how COVID would impact some of

the projects that needed to be built by the end of the year to meet deadline for the production tax credit—a federal incentive that has been in place for renewable energy for past 20 something years. People were concerned they wouldn’t be able to get their projects finished on time, but the Treasury Department has relaxed the deadline. We now have an additional year of breathing room. That has given us a lot more confidence in the market in the near term, and longterm prospects look extremely strong.”

The renewable energy sector has also suffered from a lack of support from the Trump administration, he said. President Trump has been vocal in his opposition of wind energy.

“With any sort of technology, there’s always going to be opposition,” said Adams. “In my 20 years in the industry, I’ve heard a lot of things. But this administration has been throwing some curveballs and new stuff out there that has really caught us off guard.”

Despite these challenges, Adams predicts continued growth in the industry. In 2019, renewable energy sources accounted for about 11 percent of total U.S. energy consumption and about 17 percent of electricity generation.

“Some of the largest procurers of renewable energy happen to be large corporations that are looking to do their part in the fight against climate change. That’s really driving demand,” he said. “Wind has really been gaining steam over the last couple of years. We are quite bullish about the opportunities with offshore wind energy as well as improved storage technology and solar technology.”

The International Energy Agency predicts that offshore wind generation will grow 15-fold over the course of the next 20 years and become a $1 trillion global industry. Solar energy production is also expected to experience exponential growth.

Adams predicted the company will double in size in the U.S. over the next two to three years. They have additional U.S. office in Seattle and Golden, Colo. Its Saratoga office has 15 employees and was chosen as the company’s U.S. headquarters in part because of its proximity to New York City. Many of Natural Powers’ clients including banks and large investment houses are located in the Big Apple.

“I love this community and have lived in the area for most of my life. This is an ideal location to be close enough to clients and attractive to our staff in terms of having a very vibrant community and having access to all of the things we know and love in Saratoga,” he said.

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 11

Veteran Homebuilder, Noted Horse Owner, County To Sell Downtown Saratoga Property, Building Homes In Oak Ridge Development Offering It To City First Before Developers

This a rendering of one of the homes being built by Beechwood Homes as part of the Phase II part of Oak Ridge residential development between Saratoga Lake and Saratoga Race Course.

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL The second phase of Oak Ridge, a luxury housing development nestled between Saratoga Lake and Saratoga Race Course, will be constructed by Beechwood Homes under the leadership of founder Mike Dubb and his son and partner, Steven Dubb.

The project will add 53 homes with prices ranging from $850,000 to $2 million-plus. After 35 years building thousands of single-family homes downstate, this is Beechwood’s first project in the Saratoga area.

The subdivision’s original developer was J. Snyder Builders, who approached Dubb about continuing the project Jeff Snyder had started with 40 homes.

“Jeff Snyder created a community that embodies what old Saratoga feels like, and picking up where he left off was an opportunity for me to build on that vision,” said Dubb.

What makes the “old Saratoga” style so beautiful, Dubb said, is “Victorian architecture, large porches, and interesting roof lines. More importantly, you don’t see garages at these homes because they predated the automobile,” he said. “All the garages at Oak Ridge homes are in the back of the property or are detached, which makes a big difference in the look of the community.”

Phase Two homes will sit on three different lot sizes with corresponding home designs. Alley Lots are 2,000 to 3,000 square feet with garages accessible from an alley in back. This style is intended for down-sizers or empty-nesters, or couples starting out with no children yet, according to Dubb.

Wood Lots are one-third to one-half acre. No garage is visible from the street. Ridge Lots are

Courtesy Beechwood Homes

a full acre perched on the highest elevation in the development, and at 6,000 square feet can accommodate five or six bedrooms, he said.

An avid horseman who had been visiting the race track since high school, Dubb said for decades he had watched Saratoga Springs transform as “a beautiful town that incorporates smart growth principals. I admired this transformation from afar as the Beechwood Organization built homes downstate,” said Dubb. “When I was asked to look at Oak Ridge, I did not go into it with high expectations” for starting any project in Saratoga.

However, Dubb recognized the demand for quality homes among several key markets.

“People have a desire for more rural living and some find their housing needs have changed,” he said.

He said residents of downstate New York and New Jersey want a better life in a community “not so dense” as the suburban areas they live in now. Moreover, the trend in second home and vacation home construction continues on an upward trajectory in Saratoga county.

Oak Ridge may not be the only development in Beechwood’s future. Dubb said he is keeping his eyes open for other properties.

He is also in the process of building a day care center at Saratoga Race Course that will be viewable from Union Avenue and opened next summer, he said.

It was after he built his first day care center downstate at Belmont Park, he “thought it would be fun to own race horses.” Today, Dubb is a seven-time leading horse owner at Saratoga Race Course as well as a board member of NYRA. Learn more about the Beechwood Organization at www.beechwoodhomes.com.

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Saratoga County will vacate its offices at 31 Woodlawn Ave. in Saratoga Springs by midAugust and put a well-placed piece of downtown real estate up for sale and potential development.

The county has occupied the two-story brick building since the 1970s. It was most recently home to public safety, public health, emergency service and probation offices.

Those offices have relocated to the Public Safety Building in Milton, a 63,000-square-foot structure that was constructed to house the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department and the Saratoga County 911 Communications Center.

According to Saratoga County Supervisor Matthew Veitch, the county’s Building and Grounds committee met on July 14 to discuss the Woodlawn Avenue property. The building sits on 0.5 acres of prime real estate in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“The county doesn’t need that space any more.

We don’t have any departments that would be moving into that location, so we will be looking to do something with the building,” he said.

The property is estimated to be worth significantly more than its 2017 appraised value of $2.1 million, Veitch said.

The county is in the process of obtaining a new appraisal and is willing to sell it to Saratoga for an amount less than what it would sell for on the open market. The city has expressed interest in the past.

Veitch has contacted the city to advise them that they are being given first rights on the property. A selling price has not been discussed.

The city has been given 45-day decision window and must respond by Sept. 2.

“The county isn’t going to just give it to them.

We would ask the city to come up with a value or give the county the appraised value for the

Saratoga County plans to sell 31 Woodlawn Ave. in Saratoga Springs. ©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

building,” he said. “That will be up for negotiation with the city if they are interested. If the city is not interested, we will put it on the open market and see what kind of bids we can get from the private sector.”

Veitch said that several potential buyers from the private sector have contacted him regarding the property. It is likely that a private buyer would want to demolish the existing building and replace it with new construction.

“There is certainly some interest out there from the development community,” he said. “Based on the real estate market and where it is located in Saratoga Springs, it is certainly going to be a property that will have a lot of interest and go for a high value.”

12 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

SPECIAL SECTION

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL

Senior Living / Retirement Planning •

Business Report Downsizing Your Home For Retirement

BY JENNA BURGER You and your spouse got married, bought a home, and raised three beautiful children. You’ve lived and loved your home for 30 years, but the kids have moved out and started their own families.

Now you’re living in the 2,500 square foot home, half of which you don’t use other than the five times a year when “the kids” come to visit.

The question arises, why do we have all this space when most of it rarely gets used? Does it make sense to downsize? What opportunities can come about if we let this large home go? What are the pros and cons of downsizing as we are planning on retirement?

There is a lot to consider with downsizing.

Whether a house, townhome, or apartment, moving to a smaller space can have its challenges, but if planned well, the next chapter of your life can bring less maintenance and more fun. When relocating to a space that is a fraction of the size, there is a great likelihood that you’ll need to reduce the amount of furniture and decor that has been collected over the years.

The process of reducing your “stuff” can take time and potentially feel overwhelming. Purging can be exhausting. To start, it is best to approach the process with an objective mindset. Letting go of sentimental items can be difficult, but go pieceby-piece and ask yourself, “Is this of value or need going forward?”

Allow yourself enough time to avoid pressure in making rash decisions. Create three different piles or sections that include: keep, donate, throw away. Go room by room and give yourself a week for each space to keep the process from getting too daunting.

Downsizing can allow for more freedoms like

‘Smooth Transitions’ Helps Seniors Downsize Homes On The Way To New Living Situations •

Jenna Burger, interior designer, Jenna Burger Design LLC. Courtesy Jenna Burger Design LLC.

traveling, spending time with your spouse and/or family, and trying new hobbies. Once you’ve got your head wrapped around what is staying and what is going, the next best step is to determine what size space would be the right size for you.

Living in a smaller setting is certainly going to be different, but for downsizing to make sense and worth the effort, the right space may take time to figure out. If you’re unsure of the best size for your new space, visit homes of varying sizes to see if it provides what you need. Stay in an Airbnb for a week to see if it suits your spatial desires.

Determining the right size for your new setting will be an important step to ensure the space is just the right fit!

If you’re selling a larger home, maybe of which Continued On Page 14

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL When time comes for a senior citizen to downsize or enter assisted living, the physical and emotional aspects are more taxing than for someone who had fewer memories connected to their home.

Regardless of age or time spent at their address, many people desire a smooth transition between their current residence and the next place they’ll call home. That is what Barbara Morris set out to provide when she started Smooth Transitions locally in 1998, now a national company with 44 offices.

Keith Reed is president of one—the New York licensee of the company Morris originally incorporated as Moving for Seniors. He said the name was changed to reflect both the broader demographic served and the types of assistance the company has evolved to provide.

Like the company’s founder, Reed said, “My philosophy, too, is to help folks out. With five counties in the Capital District, there are enough people to help around the area.”

His area includes Saratoga and Warren counties and he can also provide service in Washington County if situations arise.

Help can come in many forms depending on what the client’s goals are. Many are downsizing within the area, moving in to be closer to children and grandchildren, or entering an apartment or care facility. And they are looking to people like Reed to assess needs and make the transition happen.

“I can sit across the kitchen table with an individual and their family and explain our full turnkey approach,” Reed said. “We can do the packing, get a mover if the client didn’t hire one, unpack and arrange their furniture,” “Even the cable and electricity is hooked up and ready the same day with our service,” he said.

“Clients do not have to stay overnight in a hotel while the staff sets up.”

He said while “that’s the goal,” the company doesn’t have control over everything.

“A client in Albany was very nervous and had penciled in moving day on a Friday,” he said. “I changed that to Tuesday. If something goes wrong, I told him, we cannot get help over the weekend.”

It is also comforting to have staff like Reed’s help re-organize homes and stage them for the eventual sale.

“If you have 40 years of stuff in the basement, we can sort through and take care of that,” he said. “We know pickers and antique buyers all over New York who will purchase it.”

Whatever is not taken with the client or

Keith Reed is president of the local Smooth Transition branch. ©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

purchased might be given to charity. Reed said it’s important to people which charities receive their donations.

“We are looking for partnerships with nonprofits, as well real estate brokers, short-term and longterm care and senior communities who are looking for support,” he said. “They can get a discount on movers, for example. We support each other, whatever it takes.”

Smooth Transitions also has two interior designers available to set up a new home or stage the former one to make it look more attractive and functional to prospective buyers, he said.

The company also offers a Design-A-Gram service that helps clients visualize what their new spaces will look like when the pieces they select are all in place.

Sometimes in the process of downsizing people will be attached to some items, but those experienced in the senior market can help take some of the emotion out of parting with things.

“We might say, ‘I know you really love that oversized armoire, but we will find a place for it if you really want to,’” Reed said. “The next day they’ve decided they didn’t like it that much after all.”

Visit www.smoothtransitions.com for more information about the company’s services and capabilities. Reed can be reached at (518) 376-5790 or kreed@smoothtransitions.com.

Your Path, Your Journey, Your Destination Let us help you build a confident retirement.

Listen to Retirement Radio Hosted by David Kopyc

President of the Retirement Planning Group, LLC

Talk! radio at 93.1 FM or 1450 AM WCKM 98.5 FM or WDKM 92.5 FM

(LIVE Thursdays 1 - 2PM) (Sundays 8 - 9AM)

(518) 580-1919 238 Bay Road, Queensbury NY 12804 • 2691 State RT 9 Malta, NY • 125 Wolf Rd Albany, NY Securities offered through Securities Service Network, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Fee based advisory services offered through SSNAI, a registered investment advisor.

Robert Schermerhorn, CFP® (518) 584-2555 www.SaratogaRetire.com 18 Division Street, Suite 305 Saratoga Springs Securities & advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 13

Officials Say Senior Population Is Becoming Vibrant Part Of The Business Community

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL As the 50-plus population continues to rise, communities are experiencing seniors as a vibrant demographic.

This is not a generation for rocking chairs and knitting needles. Today’s retirees are contributing to the economy in unexpected ways, not only rejoining the work force but also traveling extensively and giving generously to charity, officials say. a In Saratoga County the senior population is one of the fastest growing in the state, according to Lois Celeste, executive director of the Saratoga Senior Center. There are more than 55,000 in this age group who are primarily mortgage-free homeowners with access to assets and credit.

“I am amazed at the number of companies knocking on our door to approach the center and our seniors,” said Celeste.

“Businesses are popping up everywhere to serve the senior market. They come from diverse industries like health care, transportation, tourism, financial services, automotive, housing, law, and many others that the older population touches.”

When she started at the senior center 11 years ago, Celeste found the agency was “semi-defunct. It had blown through its resources and the building was in disarray.”

Before the pandemic hit this spring, the center was outgrowing its 5 Williams St. location and Celeste was conceptualizing needed renovations. But the center could not have grown to such a point without an understanding of how valuable seniors are as a demographic and how relationships with the business community directly help members to thrive, she said.

“Sponsors bring in revenue to the center while helping keep seniors active and bringing them together,” she said. “And that is good for their health. Activity lowers depression, so social interaction is vital, especially during a health crisis.”

Medicare Advantage is a big part of sponsorship as providers vie for the local senior market. Celeste said she relies on such revenue. “This revenue allows us to do classes and programs that stimulate our seniors to move.”

When funds come into senior centers, the money f lows back into the community, according to Celeste.“If nonprofits are not providing food, transportation, and services to seniors, who will?”

Senior centers frequently function as brokers who bring together people in need with volunteers, often other seniors. If a volunteer can provide a ride to a doctor’s appointment, “that’s supporting the health care field,” she said.

“When I think of seniors I see people

•

The Saratoga Senior Center is one of the local hubs of activities for area seniors. who need care,” she said. “But at the same time, they are also caregivers.”

Many retirees are helping to raise families and volunteering time to the community.

Their contributions, both financially and in terms of hours spent, make them the most charitable demographic in the country.

“New York has nearly one million volunteers age 55-plus who contribute 495 million hours of service per year at an economic value of $13.8 billion,” according to Greg Olsen, director of the state Office for the Aging. “We would not have an economy without older adults.”

“The Senior Center could not do what we do with programs and services without our volunteers, young and old,” Celeste said.

“We rely on them. Our board of directors is volunteer. I can’t count the hours or the gallons of gas our volunteers spend on our members.”

Celeste said the agency’s former treasurer typifies the active senior of today. He came to Saratoga Springs as a retiree and joined the board as a volunteer.

“After a year he started his own business doing bookkeeping for small businesses in town,” she said. “He bought a house here, is a consumer here, his health care services are here, and he volunteers and travels.”

As non-profit organizations compete for fewer dollars, Celeste must be creative with fundraising ideas and persistent in building “symbiotic relationships with sponsors.”

“They give and we give back,” she said.

Visit www.saratogaseniorcenter.org for a description of the services and programs being offered and ways to help finance them.

Business Report 2020 Will Not Be Forgotten

BY DAVID KOPYC In January of this year, I wrote an article about what I anticipated for the stock market in the year 2020. In that article, I mentioned a Black Swan Event and little did I know that it would come to fruition.

The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on investors, employers, employees, deficit spending and the possibility our lives may have changed forever. Words such as social distancing, masks, freedom, travel, congregations, concerts, etc., have all taken on a new meaning to all of us. We will all look back at this event in our lives with different thoughts, opinions, and memories, whether they be good or bad.

As I write this article, the NASDAQ has just hit an all time high, and the Dow and S&P 500 are a few points shy of reaching their all time high. I bring this up because so many individuals went to cash when the pandemic came roaring into our lives and the doom and gloom that was predicted has not come to Wall Street that so many of the Monday Morning Quarterbacks said would happen.

I’ve been in the Financial Services business for 38 years and the words that always resonate with me when market volatility and uncertainty is upon us: Don’t try to time it.

From the internet bubble, flash crash and financial meltdown, the common theme has been that the markets are resilient and the pendulum always swings too far to the bull and bear side of the fence.

For those investors that went to cash and stayed there, they have missed one of the greatest rallies in the history of the stock market, when so many headlines have caused great anxiety and concern.

Historically, low interest rates are having a positive and negative impact on business and individuals, but savers that want safety and guarantees are being penalized by the interest

•

David Kopyc, president of Retirement Planning Group LLC in Malta and Albany.

Courtesy Retirement Planning Group LLC

rate they can get for that protection. Some money market accounts are paying higher rates of returns than CDs and guaranteed interest contracts. Because of this environment of low interest rates, some investors have allocated more of their assets into riskier types of investments to receive a higher rate of return or dividends from stocks to pay their bills.

Make sure that your portfolio is allocated to your risk profile and you understand all the investments you are allocated into. These are unprecedented times and the retiree or future retiree that has to create a pension for their retirement years needs to be informed and educated on the decisions they are making with these retirement assets.

I highly recommend that you work with a financial advisor, and sooner is better than later.

We will get through this and our lives will be forever changed, but we still live in the greatest country on earth.

14 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

REGIONAL STOCKWATCH Stock Name

Closing Price 07/10/2020

Closing Price 07/17/2020

Closing Price 07/24/2020

Closing Price 07/31/2020

Closing Price 08/07/2020

Albany Int’l

51.89

52.58

51.97

48.08

52.54

Arrow

27.89

28.39

28.48

27.30

29.04

AT & T

30.13

30.25

29.57

29.58

30.02

Ball

72.40

70.29

73.16

73.63

75.54

Ballston Spa National Bank

43.50

40.25

41.50

41.50

41.50

Bank of America 24.02

23.22

24.35

24.88

26.10

Best Buy

84.90

87.96

96.99

99.59

102.91

Citizens Bank

23.80

24.76

25.18

24.81

25.43

Espey

18.29

18.16

17.75

18.63

18.87

General Electric 6.69

7.07

6.86

6.07

6.40

Hilton

75.24

79.90

77.43

75.05

83.62

Home Depot

250.11 260.38 265.31 265.49

271.69

Int’l Paper

34.54

36.92

36.32

34.79

35.50

Key Corp

11.55

11.69

12.25

12.01

12.54

Lowe’s

137.43 144.39 147.03 148.91

152.81

Martin Marietta

210.15 223.55 223.65 207.18

220.05

M&T Bank

100.37 99.32

105.13 105.95

107.61

McDonald’s

184.88 191.48 198.72 194.28

204.60

National Grid

55.27

56.06

57.38

59.11

59.18

NBT Bancorp Inc.

28.33

29.38

29.89

29.79

31.59

Plug Power

9.30

8.99

8.52

7.71

11.28

Quad Graphics

3.25

3.26

3.02

3.11

3.45

Starbucks

74.29

74.16

75.78

76.53

75.79

Sysco

52.31

54.17

54.94

52.85

57.81

Target

118.86 121.67 123.71 125.88

131.78

The TorontoDominion Bank

44.10

45.39

45.05

44.28

45.76

Trans World

7.95

6.01

6.25

7.97

10.33

Trustco Bank

5.93

6.12

6.02

5.79

6.18

Verizon

54.49

56.30

56.85

57.48

58.52

Walmart

130.68 131.74 131.24 129.40

129.99

This list of quotations is provided through the courtesy of Robert M. Schermerhorn, CFP®, Saratoga Financial Services, Securities offered through LPL Financial /Member FINRA & SIPC, located in Saratoga Springs, NY. www.SaratogaRetire.com

Geico Office Allows Safe Space For Dealing With Customers During Virus Pandemic

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH Geico’s new Central Avenue location in Albany came at the perfect time for insurance agent Rick Schrade.

The relocation may not seem like a major change, but Schrade said the new space has allowed him to open up in a safe way that is pandemic ready. The office reopened in late June.

“The new space has really given us the capability to create something that is safe for our employees and for our customers,” he said.

The agency moved in late spring. When the coronavirus pandemic hit they immediately got to work, making sure to meet health and safety precautions that were being asked of them, according to Schrade.

“We’re now fully open and ready for people to come in and shop for a policy that works for them,” he said.

In response to the coronavirus, Schrade said some of the safety precautions include contactless photo inspections, daily temperature checks for employees, frequent hand washing and disinfecting surfaces on a regular basis. The new lobby includes ceiling-to-floor plexiglass.

“We really invested into ensuring that the health and safety of our office was our top priority. The new 5,000 square foot location has really been a bright spot for us. The space allows us to be socially distant, have cubicles for our employees, and really be spaced out in a safe way,” said Schrade.

He said the pandemic has had a financial

impact on not only his office, but insurance nationwide. While people are looking to find ways to save money within personal and family budgets, saving on insurance is something many people seem to overlook.

“People forget to shop for insurance and it is a strange trend we can’t quite figure out. Shopping for insurance can save consumers a considerable amount of money, “ said Schrade.

The financial impacts on the auto industry has also spilled into the insurance sector. Schrade said production in the auto industry came to a halt and inventory was low at local dealerships.

“It is starting to slowly pick up, but when people stop car shopping that is felt on our end.

I have been through 9/11, the financial crisis in 2008, but we have never seen anything like this,” said Schrade.

He said their office is sensitive to the financial hardships felt by many customers. Geico offered a discount to policyholders in early spring, just one of the things he said he likes about working for the company.

“We understand the financial hardships that are being felt by many of our customers and we are able to sit down and see what we can work out.

We’re still in a growth mode and hope to be back to where we need to be a year from now. Overall, we will be okay and we know we are one of the lucky ones,” said Schrade.

Geico is located at 1761 Central Avenue and online at www.geico.com/insurance-agents/newyork/albany/rick-schrade.

Downsizing Your Home Continued From Page 12

you purchased decades before, you most likely will make a profit on the sale. A smaller home that costs less to purchase, will then in turn leave you with more money in your pocket. This could potentially leave you in a position to retire early or move to a more desirable area. A larger home that isn’t used to its fullest potential may be the weight to be lifted to allow for a better and more enjoyable lifestyle.

Along with the home savings of a smaller home, the maintenance and upkeep costs can also be lessened. From utilities to lawn care to cleaning, maintaining a larger home can be overwhelming, costly, and time consuming. Who wants to spend three hours mowing the lawn on a Saturday when you could be hiking or playing golf? With a home better suited to your needs and life goals, the costs and maintenance of a space can be a fraction of the time needed for a larger home.

Making the decision to downsize can be

difficult. Many wonderful memories have been made in a home where your children were raised.

But is that worth staying? When evaluating the idea of moving, ask yourself why. Why are you considering downsizing. Spending less time cleaning and more quality time on what is important certainly could make for better years ahead.

Lastly, downsizing, doesn’t have to be downgrading. Your standards for living can certainly be met even though you‘re in a smaller space. There is no need to compromise on your surroundings and the lifestyle you‘ve worked so hard toward.

Enjoy retirement. Don’t be bogged down with a home that doesn’t suit your needs anymore.

Maybe this is the time to explore a new city. Maybe this is a time to move closer to family. Whatever the situation, take a step back to analyze what will be best for life’s next chapter.

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 15

Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill Plans Expansion, Buys More Property Adjacent To Premises

The Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill at 9 Gridley St. in Saratoga Springs, near Saratoga Race Course, has purchase the property circled in the upper left, which will be used as the business expands.

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL The Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill at 9 Gridley St. in Saratoga Springs, near Saratoga Race Course, has long been a favorite place to be after track for drinks, meals, and entertainment outside.

Owner Daniel Drellos said recent changes, along with some plans in the works, will make the outdoor service larger and easier to get around—critical in the era of social distancing.

“We have always had a good following,” said Drellos, whose two business partners, Brandon Drellos and Charlie Hoertkorn, also co-own Caroline Street Pub with him. Even with the racetrack closed to spectators, “it can get congested at happy hour in the summer.”

The team has secured approval for plans to expand the entire bar area and to increase the size of the bar itself to 70 or 80 feet long “so that people can get around it and to it,” he said. “We will put in a new tent and new outdoor coolers and change the look of the bar.”

When the partners purchased the Horseshoe, it had always been closed down after track season. Drellos said the goal is to be a destination off-season as well.

©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

“We are committed to a year-round crowd,” he said. “There is plenty of parking, especially in the winter, and we have made many improvements to the kitchen.”

“The crew needed these equipment upgrades to do their jobs better, and we now have a better menu, too,” he said. “The Horseshoe’s cooks, wait staff and bartenders are excellent.”

The partners purchased the business four years ago and the property in December of 2019. Recently they acquired an adjoining lot on Bowman Street with a cement block structure.

Changes and improvements to the Horseshoe have been made over time, not dramatically but in quieter stages, said Drellos. These include freshening paint, replacing windows in front, and adding new siding and a rock facade.

“People like subtle changes, not major ones,” he said. “Our patrons are a loyal crowd and hopefully the regulars will feel comfortable coming in all the time, not just the summer months.”

The Horseshoe is open Wednesday through Sunday. Visit www.thehorseshoeinn.com for details.

Card Catalog

Richard Kessinger Owner

P.O. Box 187 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 944-0359

saratogalawnmaintenance@gmail.com

Training Skilled Trade Workers Continued From Page 1

Steamfitters Local 773 in Glens Falls are among the area groups that have bemoaned the lack of people to fill job openings.

According to Dr. Jonathan Ashdown, Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), “The crux of what we are trying to do with ATEC is build enough capacity into this 130,000 square foot building up front to account for the growth we anticipate. We want to accommodate students that are on our wait list every single year for (STEM) programs.”

To illustrate the demand that exists within STEM, Ashdown referenced HVCC’s $14.5 million Gene F. Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills. The building opened in August 2019 and allowed the college to double AMT (Advanced Manufacturing Technology) enrollment from 144 to 288.

“We built capacity into that building and already filled and exceeded capacity in one year,” said Ashdown. “We just had to start a wait list for that program.”

The addition of the proposed ATEC building will allow HVCC to expand existing programs as well as add a new welding and fabrication degree program.

“Expansion into welding is crucial, as NYSERDA is investing $20 million into an offshore wind proposal for the Capital Region, which will result in the creation of hundreds of local positions to build and assemble turbine bases,” said Ashdown.

HVCC estimates that ATEC will generate more than $2 billion in salaries for the regional and state-wide economy. Graduates from HVCC skilled trade programs typically earn starting salaries of $55,000 or more.

“One of the things I would like to get across is just how great of an investment this will be for New York state,” said Ashdown. “The is a winwin for the state and Capital Region.”

“We are at the stage of working with architectural firms to get the formal engineering plans drawn up. After that, we will be going out to solicit state and federal funding,” said Ashdown. “We have a plan to get programs up and running by fall 2021. We will not be at full capacity before the building is complete. We are

hoping to have Phase 1 complete by fall 2022 and Phase II by 2023.”

Ashdown acknowledged that COVID-19’s impact on state and federal budgets could make obtaining funding challenging in the short term.

He is hopeful that the timing of the project will align with a post-COVID economic rebound.

Corporate partnerships are also in the works although none have been finalized.

“Companies and CEOs have voiced the need for this in the Capital Region especially to support the offshore wind initiative,” said Ashdown.

Capital Region companies have also voiced the need for additional trained healthcare professionals to fill the region’s more than 2,800 annual job vacancies.

HVCC has responded to this need by announcing plans to build a 7,250-squarefoot health sciences building at HVCC North in Malta. It will be located next to the school’s existing TEC-SMART (Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies) building.

According to Penny Hill, dean of economic development and workforce initiatives, current demand exceeds capacity for HVCC’s healthcare programs.

“Healthcare is an area where we always have a wait list,” she said. “We have capped program due to the intensity of the programs.”

The proposed health science building will house state-of-the-art classrooms as well as biology, chemistry, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology labs. It is being designed to provide first year students with the core courses required for HVCC’s many health care programs.

HVCC North will be considered an extension campus, and students will also need to take classes in Troy to meet degree requirements.

“The first year is a foundational year. It gets students started, and then they can go in different directions from there,” she said. “We have a good partnership with Regeneron in Troy for biotech science, and a lot of these same courses could be pathways into the biotech field.

It’s also a pathway for those who want to go on to a four year institution for biology or pre-med.”

16 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

Sen. Schumer Urges Passage Of Bill To Help Tech Companies Like GlobalFoundries Following his unveiling of the bipartisan American Foundries Act and his push to include major federal support for the U.S. microelectronics industry, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer stood with GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield in Malta, to call for swift passage of an act that would help tech companies.

The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes the provisions from the Senator’s bill to continue U.S. leadership and revitalize innovation in the global microelectronics sector.

Schumer said the bipartisan legislation, among other things, will launch federal initiative into semiconductor manufacturing, including companies like GlobalFoundries, by providing new federal incentives to conduct advanced research and development of semiconductor technology, secure the supply chain, and ensure national and economic security by reducing reliance on foreign semiconductor manufacturing.

The amendment passed in the Senate 96-4 as part of the Senate-passed NDAA which now awaits final consideration and passage.

Schumer called it a major step forward in providing unprecedented support for the U.S. semiconductor industry and creating opportunities to bring hundreds of jobs to Saratoga County and Upstate New York.

“The economic and national security risks posed by relying too heavily on foreign semiconductor suppliers cannot be ignored, and Upstate New York, especially the Capital Region, which has a robust semiconductor sector, is the perfect place to grow this industry by leaps and bounds,” said Schumer.

“America must continue to invest in our domestic semiconductor industry in order to keep good-paying, high-tech American manufacturing jobs here in Upstate New York. We need to ensure our domestic microelectronics industry can safely and securely supply our military, intelligence

agencies, and other government needs. This is essential to our national security and to U.S. leadership in this critical industry.”

“We were pleased to welcome Sen. Schumer to GlobalFoundries Fab 8 facility, the most advanced semiconductor foundry in the U.S.,” said Tom Caulfield, CEO of GlobalFoundries. “For many years, Senator Schumer has supported semiconductor manufacturing and GlobalFoundries and this legislation will boost chip production and U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership. Now is the time to double down on semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. where it began more than half a century ago,” Schumer said even though the U.S. revolutionized the microelectronics industry and invented nearly all of the key technology used to this day, competitors in Asia, especially China, have made huge investments into their microelectronics industries in recent years to challenge and undercut U.S. leadership.

According to Schumer, the U.S. has gone from producing 24 percent of the world’s semiconductors in 2000, to just 12 percent more recently. In contrast, China has gone from producing zero chips to 16 percent of the world’s supply in the same time frame.

Schumer has long-championed increased efforts to expand the domestic microelectronics industry, showing strong support for companies like GlobalFoundries.

With New York home to multiple major companies and research institutions in the semiconductor industry, the state is positioned to securely supply the U.S. government with critical technologies and maintain U.S. leadership in this technology, offering a tremendous opportunity for New York’s semiconductor companies to expand operations, create more jobs in Upstate New York, and help the U.S. reduce its reliance on foreign semiconductor manufacturing, the senator said.

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Business Briefs

Whitman Brewing, 20 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs, announced the release of its first canned product, New World Water.

The new canning line was scheduled for setup by the manufacturer, Cask Global Canning Solutions, based out of Alberta, Canada, just days before the border was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delayed the first canning run, but after video meetings with Cask, Head Brewer Nick Meyer had the machine up and running, the company said.

New World Water, a 5.14 percent ABV hard seltzer, is conditioned with pureed strawberries, giving it a subtle pink hue and a slightly tart fruit flavor.

People must be 21 and older to purchase brewery products and masks and proper social distancing are required.

* * * Saratoga Hospital has again been named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, taking the top spot in Northern New York and ranking third in the Albany region for 2020-2021.

Saratoga Hospital also is ranked 22nd in New York state and was rated “high performing” in four specialties, procedures and conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, hip replacement, and knee replacement.

For the 2020-2021 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals and medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties, 10 procedures and conditions. Of those facilities, 560—less than 14 percent—earned the “best” designation. Saratoga Hospital also received the designation in 2018-2019.

In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized best regional hospitals based on high-performing rankings across multiple areas of care. Methodologies are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume, quality of nursing and other care-related indicators.

* * * The Saratoga Balloon and BBQ Festival has been canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially scheduled for June 19-21 at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds, the event was pushed to Aug. 14-16. But organizers have decided to cancel it this year.

Promoters said they are optimistic about hosting the event in 2021 on June 25-27 at the Fairgrounds. Officials said the event already has 30 balloons lined up for 2021.

For more information, visit www.balloonandbbq.com.

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SAIL (Southern Adirondack Independent Living), a local organization that serves people with disabilities with offices in Queensbury and Ballston Spa, is recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The landmark legislation was signed into law by George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990.

It was modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and mandates that people with physical or mental disabilities have the same rights as others to employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in state and local programs and services.

Specifically, ADA Title III covers public areas, like schooling and transportation, and “public accommodations” that also include businesses, restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks, daycare centers, and places of work.

As part of the ADA requirements, employers have to provide reasonable accommodations so employees with disabilities are able to do their jobs. This includes providing accessible entrances, accessible bathrooms, and appropriate chairs, desks, and office equipment.

SAIL works to continually promote the spirit of the ADA and to ensure that the community adheres to the requirements. SAIL can assist people with disabilities in determining various programs and services that are available throughout the region. For more information, visit www.sailhelps.org.

* * `* Saratoga County is encouraging all residents to respond and complete the 2020 Census that is underway. The county is doing so in order to ensure an accurate population count.

A full and accurate population count is critical to ensuring correct federal representation and for receiving future federal aid, officials said.

Demographic changes recorded by the census can have impacts on the distribution of billions of dollars in federal resources. These funds typically go to hospitals, emergency services, schools, roads and more, according to available census information. As a result, ensuring an accurate population count is critical for local communities to continue receiving necessary federal aid and maintaining congressional representation.

By urging all residents to respond to the Census, Saratoga County aims to ensure that future aid and congressional representation can be maintained. The census, which occurs every 10 years, attempts to count every person living in the United States, regardless of age or citizenship status.

Residents can complete the census by visiting www.2020census.gov.

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 17

Shaker Logistics Selects Sales Operations Firm

Continued From Page 1

Relay Integrated Logistics & Solutions (RILS) has been selected to create a sales operations program for Shaker Logistics, a third-party logistics provider headquartered in Waterford.

“We are aggressively going after new growth and projecting a 20 percent increase in revenue from new customers in the next three years, as well as continued growth from our long-time partners,” said Jason Smith, CEO of Shaker Logistics.

“Our new headquarters and warehouse space will drive new service offerings. We anticipate full retention of our workforce of 81 people and an expansion of hiring in roles like sales, warehousing, customer service, and drivers over the next several years.”

The Center for Economic Growth assisted in the collaboration.

RILS will leverage its years of experience in sales operations to help support and standardize the entire sales process, from prospecting to conversion, officials said.

RILS also will help create sales tools for both inside and field sales teams, as well as reporting mechanisms to measure effectiveness.

“A good sales operations program supports both the front line and the leadership team. The sales teams’ processes help them better understand and meet expectations,” said RILS managing partner Larry Treen. “The leadership team can see the prospects and where they are in the purchasing process. That visibility throughout the funnel is critical for forecasting revenue. Through the efforts of Louise Aitcheson and the Center for Economic Growth, we are excited about helping Shaker with this program.”

Michael Lobsinger, senior vice president of CEG said the agency “is pleased to be collaborating on this project to assist Shaker with their growth objectives. While CEG is the designated Regional MEP Center and as such is particularly focused on the manufacturing and technology sector, every company contributes to the region’s economic vitality and all businesses of any size can benefit from CEG services and strategic partners such as Relay Integrated Logistics & Solutions.”

Shaker Logistics is an asset-based, thirdparty logistics provider headquartered in Waterford. Since its founding in 1988, Shaker’s team has delivered transportation services for thousands of customers, combining its freight brokerage and its company-owned f leet to develop creative logistics solutions in a collaborative, hightouch environment. Learn more at www. shipwithshaker.com.

Control and Prevention (CDC).”

The Gideon Putnam suspended service on March 23.

The Rest Assured program standards and procedures include: • Ensuring our operating standards uphold current social distancing guidelines as directed by local and state regulators and in compliance with the CDC. • Enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols for all high-touch surfaces in common areas.

• Reduced capacity and limited hours of operation, where appropriate.

• Moving to a 48-hour cancelation policy across all properties, giving guests the assurance of a full refund prior to their planned stay, should circumstances change.

• Courtesy sanitation kits in guest rooms and removal of most communal objects such as throw pillows, alarm clocks, glass cups/mugs (replaced with disposables), etc.

• Bulk amenities replaced by single-serve amenities.

• Cleaning and sanitizing guest rooms prior to arrival, with housekeeping upon request thereafter.

• Most points of sale accept touchless mobile wallet payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. • Touchless sinks and soap dispensers in several restrooms.

• Hand-sanitizing stations located throughout properties.

In addition, Gideon Putnam employees: • Take a health check when they report to work.

• Sanitize their hands when they report to work and are required to wash and sanitize their hands frequently throughout the shift.

• Undergo a comprehensive Rest Assured training program.

• Wear face coverings while they are on duty.

“We are committed to delivering a safe and secure hospitality environment for our associates and guests,” Howard said.

The Gideon Putnam is a national historic landmark hotel in Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. The 120-room property houses Putnam’s, a restaurant and bar, as well as a gift shop, fitness center. It is a short walk from the historic Roosevelt Baths & Spa, which since opening in 1935 has drawn guests to its legendary baths for the believed restorative benefits of the region’s famed natural mineral spring waters.

The Gideon Putnam also offers 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a business center, and Wi-Fi access throughout the property. Guests have access to complimentary shuttle services to downtown Saratoga Springs.

The state park offers golf, museums, outdoor pools and miles of paths for hiking and biking.

For more information visit www.

GideonPutnam.com.

Gideon Putnam

Building Designs Continued From Page 20

commercial development. “We happy to be part of the that vision.”

Additionally, Atrium Properties is constructing Town Square, a 39-unit luxury apartment complex at 451 Clifton Park Center Road. It will provide a walkable environment to the Clifton Park Center, YMCA, and Hannaford Supermarket in Village Plaza. “These two particular projects are state-of-the-art for Clifton Park,” she said.

“Both are ‘smart buildings’ that cater to individuals working remotely with high speed internet and data services needs, temperature control and car charging stations.”

Smart buildings typically manage and control operations including lighting, security, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and other systems.

“We are also meeting design demands of the town code by building closer to the road and not behind a parking lot. We are conscious of connectivity and have the good design features the town required for tenants,” she said.

For two months, the pandemic shutdown the Plank Road Centre, but “on the flip side, the construction industry opened in Phase One. We put all of our protective measures in place and were pleased that the project was outside work,” she said. “Our crew is doing a great job with the project. It was important for them, and for our economy, to get back to work.”

Holbrook, said efficiency was at a premium after the 2019 fire that destroyed Common Roots. Then COVID-19 halted construction of the redesign, and all eyes were on V&H Construction workers as they attempted to resurrect a beloved establishment in 11 months.

Designed by Phinney Design Group, of Saratoga Springs, the build was fluid.

“We work on-line often to communicate with the architects and engineers on the

State Gives Grants To Help Maintain Parks The State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the advocacy group Parks & Trails New York have awarded grants to support nonprofit organizations involved with stewardship of 29 state parks, historic sites and public lands.

The grants—including five in the area— provided to partner organizations will help to improve the maintenance of these historic open spaces.

The grants “will help bolster efforts to keep New York’s open spaces beautiful and pristine at a time when more New Yorkers than ever are turning to nature for refuge and relaxation,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “New York is thankful for this dedicated group of volunteers, which provide invaluable support to our park system by devoting their time to help make improvements that all of us can enjoy.”

The program grants are funded through the state Environmental Protection Fund .

Grants in the area went to: • Friends of Moreau Lake State Park, $13,500, to fund a consultant to create promotional materials designed to promote membership in the group.

• Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park, $12,000, to fund a consultant, membership management software and promotional materials, digital marketing and Chamber of Commerce membership.

• Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance, $3,528, to purchase new signs in the park.

• The Friends of U.S. Grant Cottage in Wilton, $48,000, to fund an assessment of current conditions and master plan for potential future improvements including offsite parking, accessible pedestrian pathways, connection to the Palmertown Trail network, a memorial garden and new pavilion.

• Wilton Wildlife Preserve, $4,800, to fund new signs for trail kiosks and school programming on the environmental history of the Saratoga Sand Plains.

design build,” Holbrook said. “Then, we found ourselves discussing the project even more on-line” due to the pandemic.

With technological advances, Holbrook said “there is more integration between the mechanical, electrical and build teams now” that creates a more streamline process.

V&H needed a three-week extension with the brewery project due to the pandemic shutdown, but was able to finish by July 4.

Twelve employees worked on the job, as well as several subcontractors.

V&H was recently awarded a $390,000 project to build a Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Co. branch in Greenwich and is working on an addition for the Cambridge Pacific on Route 22, where a $1 million printing press is being installed. The company has several other projects on tap.

Albrecht said Hilltop crews have been working to “beat the heat” by starting early wherever possible.

The masks are hot in the heat, but the workers are working through it. In this industry you have to be adaptable,” he said.

“Change happens. You either go with it or get left behind.”

Hilltop is presently framing a Stewart’s Shop in Indian Lake and just completed one is Port Henry. The structures are the company’s new prototype buildings, with more room and expanded grocery sections.

There will be a ground breaking in Keene soon.

Albrecht said the footprint for the convenience shops is consistent.

“The guys know what to expect. We’ve had a 10-year relationship with Stewart’s — building 74 new shops” he said. “Life is good.

Business is good.”

“I commend Gov. Cuomo for making hard decisions early on in this pandemic. He made tough choices. I fully advocate all to wear masks. We all need to get healthy again,” said Albrecht.

18 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

‘Bound By Fate Brewing’ In Schuylerville Features A Taproom With Small Food Menu

A ROUNDUP OF WHERE TO WATCH THE RACES & CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF THE TRACK Please note: With regulations changing on a near-daily basis, it's best to contact establishments ahead of time to confirm details and reservations.

Go All Out With Your Track Viewing Experience Make a day of it - or longer! - with these track viewing options:

THE PARTING GLASS

The Parting Glass opens daily at 11am and you can watch horse racing on their big screen while enjoying food and beer specials. Reservations are not necessary. +

PEABODY'S

Peabody's has plenty of TVs for horse racing and plans to air OTB, TVG, and MSG. They'll be open during the races and may charge a small table fee (call the restaurant for updates at 518.886.8673). This popular sports bar is known for their amazing wings, so make sure to order some along with your cold beer for the races.

THE WINE BAR

Wine-lovers will want to head to The Wine Bar to watch the races live while enjoying a glass of something delightful. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (which are Dark Days anyway).

15 CHURCH

Come and watch the races live from 15 Church's beautiful patio in Saratoga Springs. Starting on Opening Day, July 16, and running through the end of the meet, you can enjoy watching the top thoroughbreds race at the historic racetrack. The patio will be equipped with extra TVs, fabulous food, and plenty of champagne for every winner. Reservations are required by calling 518-587-1515, and you can reserve a table for the day, the week, or the entire meet.

THE HORSESHOE INN BAR AND GRILL

The Horseshoe Inn Bar and Grill will stream the races from six outdoor TVs and a 15-foot blowup projector screen. The restaurant also offers a view of Turn 2 along the backstretch of the track!

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL Bound By Fate Brewing is a story of three generations and a business coming together in Schuylerville.

Co-founders Pam Pradachith-Demler and her husband Brett Demler had started in the craft beer industry in California, which had exploded after the Farm Brewery Bill was passed there. They imagined the brewery they would someday start themselves would have a unique business model of two-barrel production, brewing styles from around the world and dependence on local ingredients.

“My husband had been gathering beer names, recipes and design labels for 10 years,” she said.

Along with Brett’s two brothers, Evan and Ryan Demler, the partners incorporated in January of 2019. But Pradachith-Demler said it took a year to find the location that suited all their requirements, from their residence to their taproom, and head east “with no huge financial backing but our savings and some loans and gifts from family members.”

Everything came together for them in Schuylerville, birthplace of Brett and his brothers. Their mother was a teacher in the Schuylerville schools. They found a gabled house big enough to accommodate Pam and Brett, their two sons and her in-laws. The barn in the back was re-purposed for the brewery.

“One of our goals was to have a beautiful place where people will want to come and gather, for the community to build relationships,” she said. “The taproom is in the historic canal area at 31 Ferry St. with a spacious deck for outdoor seating and a beautiful view.”

“Crafting beer is really about running a factory, being a farmer and a scientist,” said Pradachith-Demler. “When brewing at the scale we are, production time is several weeks.

But if you run out of an ingredient, you can’t just go to the store.”

The owners want to talk with the customers about their beers and the New York farms where the ingredients come from. “We are supporting the local economy on many levels,” she said.

There was a grand opening in February and business was off to a strong start offering eight different beers.

During a three-day winter power outage the taproom “did an amazing weekend of sales,” she said. “We served by candlelight and were very busy with everyone packed into our tiny taproom.”

But the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic was not in the business plan and the Demlers were forced to close the taproom a month later.

Being an essential business, the brewery could remain open and do curbside sales, as well as home delivery of 32-ounce growlers.

“A brewery is a complex operation for anyone, but every day things were changing and we didn’t know what would happen as far as guidance for reopening,” she said. “We had

MOUZON HOUSE

KING'S TAVERN

PUTNAM PLACE

Putnam Place has the largest LED video wall in downtown Saratoga, where they plan to air the races. Stick around after the races to enjoy happy hour from 5pm to 7pm, live music on the patio from 7pm to 10pm, and a DJ from 10pm to 1am. They are closed on Tuesdays (a Dark Day).

SPERRY'S RESTAURANT

Sperry's Restaurant is offering reserved seats to watch the races. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the cost is $50 per person, $30 of which goes towards a food and beverage credit.

On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays it will be $75 per person with a $50 food credit. Call 518.584.9618 to reserve your spot.

TAVERNA NOVO

Taverna Novo has five flat screen TVs and plans to show the races Wednesday through Sunday from 3pm to 9pm. listings provided courtesy saratoga.com

©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

a plan for business as usual, but the biggest challenge was creating our vision for the space, while respecting distancing and other guidelines.”

Things are still changing. Before the virus hit the area, Pradachith-Demler said 100 percent of sales had been from the taproom and that changed to 60 percent from sales-togo. Today there is “plenty of product and plenty of space” for guests to sit and sip outside.

“We thought it was great to have a wraparound deck,” she said. “Now it’s where our guests can hang out safely.”

Brett Demler, who managed a home brew shop, is in charge of production and Ryan Demler, who lives in Buffalo and has 11 years professional brewing experience, runs operations. Evan Demler, with 15 years selling and production experience, heads up sales.

The partners believe the challenges they faced early on and “the energy that got them through” proved to be a boon to business.

“We were selling out the first week we were reopened,” Pradachith-Demler said. “Now our beer is even better than before.”

The offerings range from ICA style beers, cream ales, lagers, stout and other lighter styles of craft beer, with new flavors in development including a number of fruited wheat beers.

The most popular is Lupulion, she said.

Pradachith-Demler said the Bound By Fate business and brand name reflects the Demlers’ philosophy that all people are connected to each other and to the earth.

“We want to put forth the sense of being made by hand and being bound to the ingredients of the earth,” she said. “In a time when people are feeling polarized, we are really all connected,” she said.

Wine, cider, assorted liquors and a limited menu of food and snacks are also available.

Visit www.boundbyfatebrewing.com for a full list of offerings, hours of operation and more information.

Continued From Page 2

DIAMOND CLUB RESTAURANT

King's Tavern will be open during the day for guests to come in and bet on their phone, drink their famous "mugs," and chow down on delicious grub.

Pam Pradachith-Demler, center, Evan Demler, left, and Ryan Demler opened Bound By Fate.

Personnel Briefs

Mouzon House will offer horse race viewing on their rooftop and the outside bar. Happy hour is 4pm to 5pm daily during the summer.

Diamond Club Restaurant inside the Embassy Suites will air the races and will have private viewing rooms available.

Fa

Army from 2000 to 2005 as a counterterrorism officer, company executive officer and engineer battalion intelligence officer.

* * * Saratoga Hospital has been accredited as a Center of Excellence for minimally invasive gynecology—the first facility in Northeastern New York to earn this distinction, according to the hospital.

In addition, Drs. Siobhan Hayden and Anouk Lambers of Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – OB/GYN, are the first physicians in Northeastern New York to be accredited as Surgeons of Excellence in minimally invasive gynecology.

The accreditations were awarded by the Surgical Review Corp., a nonprofit patient safety organization that recognizes facilities and surgeons for providing superior patient care.

Hayden and Lambers have more than a decade of experience performing minimally invasive procedures, including robotic surgery, advanced laparoscopy and operative hysteroscopy. Both are skilled in using the da Vinci robotic surgical system to perform procedures to remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes, and uterine fibroids.

Minimally invasive procedures are increasingly preferred because they require smaller incisions and typically result in shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, reduced pain and fewer complications. Most patients who undergo a minimally invasive gynecologic procedure return home the same day.

Saratoga Hospital offers robotic surgery for urologic, gynecologic, thoracic and general surgery procedures. Last year, the hospital invested $2 million to increase access to the most advanced robotic surgery technology.

Two of the 10 operating suites in the hospital’s high-tech surgical pavilion are dedicated for robotic surgery.

SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020 • 19

Available Commercial & Residential Properties

Saratoga Monopoly Game Continued From Page 1

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

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Newly Renovated Offices in the Heart of Saratoga 444 BROADWAY/CAROLINE ST

Suite 201 Second Floor 1100 Sq.ft. 3 Private Offices Large Common Room with Separate Reception Area. $2300/month plus utilities Suite 301 Third Floor 1200 Sq.ft. Large Corner Office 2 Large Workspaces Bathroon and Galley Kitchen $2000/month plus utilities.

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CONTACT Mark Straus 518 857 2238 Patrick Donovan 518 698 0564

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for all employee time involved with the project.

“It’s really been a fantastic project. We’ve been chomping at the bit for 18 months to share everything. With only 39 spots, we tried to get places on the board that would make people want to buy the game, because it’s an important fundraiser,” said Putnam.

“Personally, I love it,” said Straughter. “I’ve been a Monopoly fan from childhood. It’s such an iconic game that people remember from growing up.”

“The fact that we had many businesses and nonprofits in Saratoga who wanted to support the game, and wanted to be on the game board—It’s something that brought the community together and is raising important money for the Community Fund,” he said.

“It’s an amazing game,” said Vincek.

“Anyone with a tie to Saratoga is going to love this game.”

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of Utica on a Monopoly board as a fundraiser. She did the same with Syracuse.

There were 39 “sellable” local spots on the board, money and cards. Adirondack Trust sponsored the photo appearing on the game’s box top. The photo was taken by SaratogaPhotographer.com’s Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography in Saratoga Springs. The interior board game photo was taken by Randall Perry of Randall Perry Photography, an architectural photographer in Saratoga Springs.

“Every piece of the game has a lot of nice touches. Everyone saw things a little differently, and made it a little better. It really was like a family working together. It was a great time,” said Putnam.

To create the game, Adirondack Trust matched last year’s donations of $77,000, which will be added to the proceeds of the board game sales. The bank also sponsored advertising costs and paid

55 Warren Street, Saratoga Springs $2,200,000 One of a kind unique home in downtown Saratoga Springs. Only a mile to the Saratoga Race Track and walking distance to downtown. This pastoral setting with 2 homes and an award-winning pool is a convenient escape. The pool house was built in 2005 and has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a 3-car garage. The pool house is heated with radiant heat and air conditioned. The main room has a blue stone floor and is highlighted by its heavy timber construction and vaulted ceilings. Perfect to host both visitors and gatherings of family and friends.

Listing Agent: J. Thomas “Tom” Roohan 518.527.9266 | troohan@roohanrealty.com

20 • SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL • AUGUST 2020

Exhibit Of Famous Pinball Machines Is High-Tech Designs Improve Movement Flow Ongoing At Universal Preservation Hall For People In Apartments And Businesses

The interactive Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit, Part of the Machine: Rock & Pinball, is ongoing at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.

Universal Preservation Hall opened the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit Part of the Machine: Rock & Pinball on July 26 for a two-month run.

The interactive exhibit showcases rock-themed, playable pinball machines and combines them with merchandise and artifacts to explore the artistic portrayal of artists and bands.

Part of the Machine: Rock & Pinball is presented at UPH by Adirondack Trust Co. UPH, a partner in the Proctors Collaborative, is selling tickets for 90-minute blocks throughout the run.

Tickets will be available for admittance at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day and hours are extended to include 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. admittance on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The event concludes on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and are available at universalpreservationhall.org.

“Rock and roll and pinball have a lot in common. Loud, colorful and rebellious, it was inevitable that the two would combine to celebrate rock’s icons,” said Karen Herman, vice president of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “A number of artists and bands have been immortalized in pinball games. It gives fans another way to experience the energy and power of rock and uniquely connect with their favorite artists.”

Making its debut as part of the exhibit is Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper’s newest pinball machine, Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle. The classic

Jim Gilbert

horror adventure game is narrated by Cooper himself.

Fans can also view pioneering pinball machines of their favorite musicians such as Captain Fantastic (1976), based on the album by Elton John and his character in Tommy, and Beat Time (1967), one of the oldest rock and roll tables, which capitalizes on Beatlemania, featuring several mop-topped musicians and a drumhead emblazoned with “The Bootles.”

Other rare and sought-after playable machines in the exhibit pay tribute to the Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Guns N’ Roses, Elvis, Metallica, KISS and AC/DC. From Peter Criss of KISS’ drum set to Dolly Parton’s dress that inspired the backglass for the DollyParton pinball machine, fans will find other artifacts on display as they learn more about the popular pinball and rock subculture.

Hosting the exhibition at UPH has been in the works more than a year as the Saratoga venue sought to develop programming that complimented - rather than competed - with Saratoga’s live entertainment scene in the summer.

“It wasn’t clear when COVID-19 came along that we could hold the event, but now that museums are reopening in the state we are proceeding with our plans,” said Teddy Foster, director at UPH. UPH follows Center for Disease Control and Prevention and New York State safety guidelines in establishing safety protocol for exhibit visitors.

Each visitor, staff person and volunteer are

Plank Road Centre in Clifton Park is being developed by Atrium Properties. It has 34 units, including 12 two-bedroom and 22 one-bedroom apartments.

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT When Atrium Properties of Clifton Park was awarded two town contracts, the company began working on the projects by incorporating new design techniques and technology that creates an efficient transfer of information,said Jacqueline Phillips Murray, a member of the Plank Road Centre LLC. Rob Holbrook, president of V&H Construction, of Fort Edward, which built the new Common Roots Brewing Co. in South Glens Falls, agrees that new digital design techniques provide a field crew at the site with real-time changes they can pull up on a tablet, instead of waiting for a hard copy blueprint change as in earlier years.

“The change can be emailed to the project manager and the information can be given quickly to the guys at the site,” he said. “They can blow up a drawing or sketch and see the details on a tablet or smart phone easily … that was not possible years ago with just a print.”

Tom Albrecht, president of Hilltop

Construction, of Hudson Falls, said, “codes are always evolving in this industry—looking for energy efficiency and better building practices,” he said. “We’re not building the cracker boxes of the 50s anymore. Projects are becoming more engineered and more specialized.”

“Demands are more specialized,” he noted, “Forty-four years ago it was so simple.”

According to Phillips Murray, “the Plank Road Centre has 34 units, with 12 twobedroom and 22 one-bedroom—all with balconies, central air and state-of-the art kitchens,” he said. “One retail space, for a food service tenant, is also proposed on the first floor, which will have four apartments.”

The complex abuts existing “green” area and will include streetscaping and connectivity to Market 32 in Clifton Park Shoppers World.

She said Clifton Park created a Town Center plan several years ago to encourage “corresponding walkable environments” for residents to access existing retail and Continued On Page 17

required to bring and wear a face mask and to wear provided gloves while playing the pinball machines. All individuals will also be required to maintaining proper social distancing. UPH staff will also take and record each individual’s temperature and procure proper tracing

information, and sanitize all surfaces including handrails, light switches, elevators, exhibit pieces, restrooms and common surfaces before new groups are admitted.

Capacity will be initially limited to 20 guests per time slot and will re-evaluated regularly.