Since COVID-19-related job losses peaked in April, the education services, retail trade and other sectors in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metropolitan statistical area (MSA) have slowly bounced back, according to a report from the Center for Economic Growth.
However, as of July, hard-hit sectors such as leisure and hospitality, and healthcare and social assistance have been slow to reduce their year-over-year losses or even seen them widen, the report said.
Data from the state Department of Labor shows signs of economic recovery in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA that includes Saratoga County. The metro had 421,700 nonfarm employed workers as of last July. While that represented a 46,800 job, or 10 percent, loss from a year earlier, it was narrower than the 15.3 percent loss the metro had sustained in April.
However, the economic recovery was slower in the Glens Falls MSA (Warren-Washington), the report said, where the year-over year nonfarm jobs loss only narrowed from 18.7 percent in April to 16.8 percent in July.
By July, most Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA sectors were still seeing year-over-year employment losses, CEG said. Transportation and warehousing was an exception, with flat job growth. Leisure and hospitality had led the region in year-over-year job losses in April, totaling 72,300.
Glens Falls Business Improvement District Helps Spruce Up Downtown Properties
Courtesy Glens Falls Bid
Andrea Harwood Palmer
The Glens Falls Business Improvement District organization has been around for awhile, but its membership feels it has been under the radar.
A rebranding is taking place to improve that.
“It became apparent over our last few months of strategic planning that we needed to make people more aware of the BID—what we’re doing, what our purpose is. We’ve been around for 15 years, and we’ve done a lot of projects, and we’ve been very quiet about it,” said Dan Burke, BID president.
Burch Bottle & Packaging Purchases Web Graphics Building In Queensbury
By Christine Graf
Waterford-based Burch Bottle & Packaging, Inc. has purchased the former Web Graphics building in Queensbury.
The 12-acre property was purchased for $2.5 million and includes a 76,000-square-foot warehouse with five loading docks. It is located at 428 Corinth Road, approximately one mile west of Northway Exit 18 .
According to Burch Bottle vice president George Ide IV, it was the property’s proximity to the Northway that was one of its major selling points.
“We had been looking for a new location for about two years,” said Ide. “We were looking for more space. It’s not an easy thing to find an existing space, and we didn’t want to build. This is a great area—a growing area—with a good shipping lane.”
Tourism Officials in Lake George Region Launch Effort To Bring More People To Area
Courtesy Lake George Chamber of Commerce
In the Lake George region, officials have undertaken an effort to make it easier for people to have custom-made fall fun and discover less crowded places.
Leading hospitality organizations in the region have teamed up to provide rich travel and outdoor experiences for visitors and help local people discover what’s in their backyard while staying safe.
“A demanding daylong hike on trails less traveled in the Adirondacks? Biking in rugged terrain? Or antiquing followed by a gourmet dinner? It’s all available in the Lake George region this fall,” said a release from Warren County Tourism, LakeGeorge.com, Look Media and Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce announcing the initiative.
The groups are working together to produce customized weekend itineraries to help visitors make the most of “summer’s second act,” the release said. The itineraries will be distributed via email blasts from the different organizations and promoted through social media on a weekly basis this fall.
Personnel Briefs: October 2020
Seeley Office Systems has hired Ashtin Givens as a business development specialist.
Givens brings with her nearly six years of experience in business development and client management. She has worked in many different industries and has helped support organizations both big and small.
She holds a B.S. in human development and family relations from SUNY Plattsburgh.
After Delays Caused By COVID-19, Brothers Open Evergreen Bicycle Works
Lisa Balschunat
By Lisa Balschunat
Kyle and Randy Cozzens, brothers and business partners, intended to open Evergreen Bicycle Works in the Fort Edward Train Station complex in April, but COVID-19 hit and put the brakes on their meetings with the village Planning Board until June.
“We had our sales tax certificate, keys to the building we were renting, our LLC, but not full approval from the village,” said Kyle, a seasoned bike repair expert and former U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic.
The Cozzens, Fort Edwards natives, worked with the Washington County Local Development Corp. in February and were raring to go, but then the pandemic hit.
“We had to wait,” he said. “We worked inside and tried to stock our shelves, but it was hard to get inventory at that time, too.”
Adirondack Orthodontics Opens Its Fifth Location On Broad Street In Glens Falls
Courtesy Adirondack Orthodontics
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Opening a fifth location seemed like a natural progression for Adirondack Orthodontics, a locally owned and operated orthodontic practice that serves patients across the Capital Region.
The newest office at 88 Broad St. in Glens Falls is now part of the largest locally owned and operated practices in the Capital District region.
As the founder of the practice, Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn said he had many patients travelling from northern Saratoga and Warren counties down to his Clifton Park office. Opening up a spot that was closer for those travelling south down the Northway for care seemed like an obvious decision to make.
“I knew we already had a client base in that area and I knew going to Glens Falls would not only make it easier for those patients but it would also allow for us to bring in new patients in the more northern areas,” said Berenshteyn.
Glens Falls Hospital, Massachusetts General Collaborate On Local Stroke Center Services
Glens Falls Hospital (GFH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced a collaborative effort to offer Teleneurology as part of the New York State Stroke Center located at GFH.
Massachusetts General Hospital is recognized as one of the premiere medical centers in the world. As a result of their clinical experience and research efforts, the physicians at MGH have over 20 years in the field of teleneurology, diagnosing and managing a spectrum of disease, from the “common” stroke to the rarest of cerebrovascular conditions.
The physician faculty of the Mass General Stroke Service care for patients with complex cerebrovascular disease, in all phases of care from prevention to acute intervention and recovery. They care for strokes of all types, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and due to a variety of causes such as atherosclerosis, infection, vasculopathy, inherited disorders and other rare causes.
Glens Falls Farmer’s Market Set To Continue At Cool Insuring Arena Starting In November
Courtesy Glens Falls Farmers’ Market
The Glens Falls Farmers’ Market summer hours are continuing through October, every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the South St. Pavilion.
But starting in November, the market will have a new location, the Cool Insuring Arena, officials said.
In the interest of keeping our customers safe, organizers sought out a large venue for social distancing purposes.
The Glens Falls Farmers Market is considered an essential business during this time, and will remain open.
‘Pretty Hot Mess’ Shop Moves Back To South Glens Falls With Its Array Of Skin Products
Autumn Wells
Andrea Harwood Palmer
Pretty Hot Mess has moved back to South Glens Falls at 139 Saratoga Ave. in the Hannaford Plaza.
Owner Angel Isaac opened the shop in 2018 and moved to Warren Street in Glens Falls in 2019. She said the move back to South Glens Falls was prompted by a need for more space.
“We’ve grown significantly in the last year. We needed more space, plus we wanted our shop to be more handicap accessible and have more room for wheelchairs,” said Isaac.
Isaac credits word of mouth and referrals from the medical community for the shop’s growth.
“We finally have a lot of medical providers on board with our products, and a lot of those medical providers are sending people our way instead of writing them a prescription. A lot of people are turning to more natural alternatives as opposed to prescriptions. Definitely our oils were popular during the whole Coronavirus scare. A lot of people were using them to keep themselves from getting sick,” she said.