Month: January 2021

By Christine Graf
Albany-based Noble Gas Solutions is planning to open a third location at 15 Third St. in South Glens Falls.
The wholesale distributor of gasses and welding supplies also has a location in Kingston. Noble Gas was founded in 1940 as Albany Welding Supply Co. and owner J. David Mahoney worked there for 10 years before purchasing the business in 1986.
Approximately 60 percent of the company’s sales are generated from the gas arm of the business, he said. Noble Gas sells medical, specialty, industrial, and consumer gasses as well as gas and cryogenic packaging. Their packaging product line includes cylinders, tanks, manifolds, and liquid cryogenic dewars.
“We started by getting into selling specialty gasses for universities and for laboratories, and it just evolved. We sell so many different gasses. We sell helium to florists, gasses to veterinary clinics and pharmaceuticals. It’s very diverse,” said Mahoney.
Noble Gas also carries a full line of welding, metalworking, soldering, brazing, and fume elimination supplies.
The company sells, rents and repairs welding machines.

By State Sen. Dan Stec
As the 2021 State Legislative session gets underway in Albany this month, the first order of business must be reestablishing its role as a co-equal branch of government.
Since March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has exercised unprecedented authority to deal with the myriad challenges created by COVID-19. He was granted this authority by the Legislature at a time of great uncertainty and when there was a need to quickly respond to mitigate the spread of the illness and avoid our health care system becoming totally overwhelmed.
Fortunately, we have moved beyond that critical time. Remaining vigilant to prevent the virus from spreading is certainly still very important. But the coronavirus vaccine now offers great hope that we will be able to get back to ‘normal’ in the near future. As we begin a new session of a newly elected Legislature, it seems to me the time is right for lawmakers representing all regions of our state to discontinue the governor’s emergency power and fulfill their critical constitutional role.
We are all well aware of the financial challenges that lie ahead. While revenues for all levels of government are down, the real story is what our businesses, especially small employers and lower-wage workers, have been enduring. Small businesses drive our economy and their recovery must now be our priority.

A new event, WinterFest, is planned for the four weekends of February, replacing the Lake George Winter Carnival.
The new event, created because of the impact of COVID-19, entices visitors to attend socially distanced, safe outdoor events such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, winter “fat tire” mountain biking and dine in the Lake George area.
Participants will get a wristband, obtainable in advance online, that will serve as the ticket to horse-drawn carriage rides around Lake George and hot cocoa stations.
The website where wristbands will be on sale is www.lakegeorgewinterfest.com.
“WinterFest is the new way to get outside and really enjoy the wide variety of family-oriented socially-distanced recreational opportunities in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks,’’ said Christian Dutcher, who is organizing the event.

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that Marc Monahan, vice president and regional executive of NBT Bank, will again be chairman of its board of directors in 2021.
He replaced Eric Gilbert in 2020.
ARCC also announced the addition of four new board members for 2021.
“The past year certainly has been a challenge, but I believe we have a strong team at the ARCC and an outstanding group of board volunteers to help us make 2021 another successful year. Thank you to all of our members for their continued support of our 100 percent member funded and focused chamber,” said Monahan.
“As we enter into a new year, I am excited to welcome our newest board members and to show our gratitude to our outgoing members for their dedication to the ARCC.”
ARCC President & CEO Michael Bittel said, “We are blessed to have a board of directors who are all passionate about our region and our communities. Under Chairman Marc Monahan’s leadership, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has continued to focus on our mission of loving and serving our entire community. Our four new board members will carry on their passion and legacy.”
Monahan joined NBT in 2010 as a member of the retail team. He has over 18 years of experience in banking in various roles within the retail and commercial divisions of NBT. Prior to coming to NBT he worked in the Capital Region as a member of the management team in KeyBank’s retail bank. Monahan started his career in the finance industry as a member of Citi Group.

Stewart’s Shops is announced it is expanding its fuel distribution business with the acquisition of Red-Kap, a locally owned, family run business.
Stewart’s officials said the company will acquire eight convenience stores, three car washes, a 75-plus dealer network and fuel distribution business.
Under the terms of the agreement, Stewart’s will maintain the branding of the Mobil, Citgo, and Sunoco stations and will convert a few of the Red-Kap locations into Stewart’s Shops.
“Stewart’s has always respected the business and our long personal relationship with the Kaplans and their team,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake. “Doing business with people who respect people is always a pleasure. Both organizations come from long local family histories that have helped form the communities where we live.
“The acquisition will add eight corporately run locations and a significant addition of gasoline supply and distribution to local stations. Stewart’s prides itself on vertical integration and support. In the age of COVID-19, with an ever-changing business climate, we look forward to extending this support to the distributor/dealer network.”
Red-Kap, based in Schenectady, owns eight convenience stores from Saratoga to Loudonville, Troy, East Greenbush, and as far west as the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville.

Sustainable PR, a new public relations agency in Glens Falls, has opened with a focus on fostering “green” business success in the growing sustainability market.
After 30 years of media relations experience in Philadelphia, Tony DeFazio, founder and principal of the agency, started the company.
Sustainable PR is positioned to support companies of varying sizes operating in B2B and B2C industries such as green technology, renewable energy, eco product manufacturing, sustainable investment products and organic food and beverage, according to the company.
Sustainable PR offers a range of services, including message development, media relations, influencer relations, coalition building and thought leadership.
The agency launched with its first client Soho Waterworks, a Brooklyn-based start-up water distributor aiming to redefine the standards of drinking water and help regional bottlers of fine waters access broader markets.
DeFazio said the inspiration for the agency can be traced back to a hike in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Park at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a friend asked him how he wanted to spend his next 10 years. After a lifetime of volunteering and advocating for environmental and sustainable causes, DeFazio decided to put his skills to work to both pursue his passion and meet what he describes as a growing market need.
“I reached a point where I could really take a step back and evaluate where I wanted to head next,” DeFazio said. “After building a strong reputation and an extensive network of contacts, I was ready for a new challenge.”