Lake George Boat Tour Business Operator Brings The Experience To Saratoga Lake Some Officials Confident Essity Workers Will Find Employment As Company Closes Shop

BY PAUL POST

Some people are fascinated by notorious underworld figures such as Lucky Luciano who hung out at the casino nightclub where world-famous entertainer Bing Crosby performed.

Others simply like to hang out with friends, take a swim or experience the thrill of being towed behind a powerful boat on an oversized fun tube.

These are some of the options Daleys Adventure Boat Tours offers with a new service on Saratoga Lake.

“I grew up on this lake,” said Mechanicville native and company owner Don Daley. “When I was 14 or 15, my uncle had a camp right down the road ... We spent our summers here on Saratoga Lake.”

In 2016, three years into retirement, Daley founded Lake George Island Boat Tours, telling guests about the lake’s history.

“Eventually people wanted to go swimming, cliff jumping or tubing so we turned it into an adventure,” he said. “Out of 45 tours on Lake George, we’ve been the number-one tour on TripAdvisor for four of the past eight years. The difference between us and other operators is that we customize tours. We let people do whatever they want.”

This year, Daley expanded his company to Saratoga Lake.

“We always wanted to get here, but couldn’t get parking, a marina and dock space,” he said.

This year, the marina secured new off-site space for boat storage, allowing it to greatly expand its parking lot. This gave Daley a place to work out of and he jumped at the opportunity, renaming the company Daleys Adventure Boat Tours.

He also bought two new Silver Wave tritoon

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Fingerpaint Sells Building On Broadway To Real Estate Company Prime Group Holdings

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

The Fingerpaint office building at 395 Broadway in Saratoga Springs has been sold for $11 million to Robert Moser of Prime Group Holdings.

A private equity and real estate company, Prime Group Holdings has an office at 85 Railroad Place. Fingerpaint Group, a pharmaceutical marketing company, now leases space at 18 Division St. The company was headquartered at 395 Broadway for 10 years, and company founder Ed Mitzen purchased the building five years ago for $9 million.

“When we moved into the building it had been vacant for a year-and-a-half because Borders (book store) went out of business,” said Mitzen. “It was a great home for us for 10 years. We loved being there. I think it’s the best location in all of Saratoga.”

At the height of the COVID pandemic, the building sat empty while Fingerpaint’s 150 employees worked remotely.

“I was the biggest anti-work-from-home guy on the planet,” said Mitzen. “I was incredibly surprised to see how productive everybody was.”

When non-essential employees were permitted to return to work, Mitzen surveyed his staff, asking them if they preferred to remain working from home.

“The general consensus was that they wanted to come in once in awhile but that they enjoyed being able to work remotely,” he said. “From my standpoint, if the work quality was still great and it was leading to happy people, I didn’t want to force people to come into the office.”

When presented with the option to return to

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BY PAUL POST

State and local officials say the region’s strong economy should be able to absorb the 300 people forced out of work by Essity paper company’s sudden exodus from New York state.

The Sweden-based company unexpectedly shuttered its large South Glens Falls mill on July 20 and plans call for closing a Greenwich converting facility and Saratoga Springs warehouse-distribution center this fall.

Meanwhile, the union representing the workforce is urging the company to change its mind and not close operations.

Essity is the area’s second large heavy industrial employer to shut down this year as Lehigh Cement, less than a mile away, is in the process of leaving, too. The fate of two large old mills is a major concern as potential public safety hazards if they can’t be repurposed or new buyers found.

Parts of Essity date back to 1864.

“I don’t think having an empty shell of an industrial plant is a good idea,” said state Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. “The good news is that our employment situation is very strong. We have many unfilled jobs in a variety of different industries. But that said, you want to make sure you aren’t leaving an eyesore in a community that perhaps becomes an environmental nuisance. There’s still a lot of questions about what condition they’re (Essity) going to leave the buildings in and what can be done with them going forward.”

Company spokesperson Joanna Ford said Essity’s top priority is keeping employees informed about everything they need to know about the closing.

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‘Way We Were’ Car Show Set For October In Ballston Spa May Have 400-Plus Display Cars

The Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association has begun preparations for its 21st annual The Way We Were car show taking place Sunday, Oct. 8, on Front Street in Ballston Spa.

The event typically draws over 400 show cars and organizers are anticipating a large turnout after the massive success of last year’s show.

The event is free to spectators. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15.

In addition to all the cars and trucks, there will be food and merchandise vendors, a kid’s zone with a bounce house and other activities, live music, and a trophy presentation at the end of the day.

“We are really excited for this year’s show,” said Christine Kernochan, car show committee chairperson. “It’s always a great event that brings people downtown to support our businesses. It’s an important fundraiser to support the excellent work that the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association does. We’re doing our very best to make this one as special as our previous 20 car shows.”

Pre-registration for show cars is now open by visiting www.ballston.org.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are also available for businesses and organizations that would like to be a part of the show.

To learn more about The Way We Were car