By Christine Graf
Motorcycle helmet manufacturer Kirsh Helmets launched its first product, the CHM-1 half shell helmet, in December. The company has also expanded its network of independent agents throughout the country.
“Our agents are working to get our helmets into stores—primarily motorcycle dealerships,” said Donald DeVito, president and chief operating officer. “We have 18 agents right now and would like to add a few more.
Manufacturing and assembly is in full swing at the company’s 5,000-square-foot facility in Queensbury. The space is leased from Seeley Machine Work and opened one year ago with support from Warren County Economic Development.
“You launch motorcycle products the same way you do in the automotive industry. You start out of the east coast and west coast and then work your way into the interior. That’s how we are approaching it right now.”
During the winter, Kirsh Helmets is focusing marketing efforts in southern states that have longer riding seasons. The goal is to establish a strong position in retail stores prior to the spring when the riding season resumes in cold weather states.
“I think this year is going to be the same as last year, which was a record year for recreational vehicles including motorcycles,” said DeVito. “It’s a naturally socially distanced lifestyle, so riders rode more.”
Price Chopper/Market 32 Will Merge With Grocery Chain Based In Western New York
Price Chopper/Market 32 has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Tops Markets, a grocery chain based in western New York, that nearly doubles the collective footprints of both in the Northeast, officials said.
Both chains have deep ties to their local communities and shared commitments to service, savings, and convenience, officials said in statement. With increased scale, the merged companies are expected to be better positioned to compete and offer more value and services to their customers.
Scott Grimmett, Price Chopper/Market 32 president and CEO, will be CEO of and serve on the board of directors of the new parent company, which will oversee the operations of nearly 300 Price Chopper, Market 32, Market Bistro and Tops Markets stores and collectively employ more than 30,000 people.
Frank Curci, Tops Markets chairman and CEO, will serve on the board of directors of the new parent company and as a consultant to assist in the transition.
Blaine Bringhurst, Price Chopper/Market 32 executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and store operations, will lead the Price Chopper/Market 32 business. John Persons, Tops Markets president and chief operating officer, will lead the Tops Markets business.
The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders.
Glens Falls Sets Up Deferred Loan Program For New, Expanding Downtown Businesses
A new deferred loan program was established in Glens Falls to help entrepreneurs looking to start or expand businesses in the downtown area.
It is part of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, part of a series of state-funded projects that are coming to fruition.
Entrepreneurs can now apply for a deferred loan through the Glens Falls Business Downtown Revitalization Initiative Venture Enterprise Program, or GF Business DRIVE.
Around $600,000 of the city’s $10 million DRI grant awarded by the state in 2016 to rehab portions of the downtown area near South Street is being used to establish the program, city officials said.
Funding for the program was provided by the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal and will be administered by the city and the Greater Glens Falls Local Development Corp.
The city is seeking to promote new and existing business development within the DRI Target Area, including the South and Elm Street area that will be undergoing a significant redevelopment effort also sponsored by the DRI, and other parts of the Downtown Business District targeted for retail and general commercial activities.
Loans will be based on the needs of each awarded business and will be forgiven after five years if the business continues to operate within Downtown Glens Falls and meets all other program terms during that five-year period, officials said.
Lake George Area Winterfest Off To A Good Start; Events Run Through End Of February
The Lake George Area Winterfest kicked off the first weekend in February with nearly 900 wristbands sold for the event, organizers said.
The wrist bands are used for rides on horse-drawn carriages, hot chocolate stations, hotel and restaurant discounts, and socially-distanced safe outdoor events such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, winter “fat tire” mountain biking, axe throwing, dog sled rides and more.
Visitors are encouraged to share their photos of Winterfest on Facebook and Instagram by using the hashtag #lakegeorgewinterfest to enter to win a restaurant gift certificate. A winner will be drawn on March 1.
Wristbands are still on sale for Winterfest, which continues Thursday to Sunday every weekend in February. Activities selected with a with wristband are for one-time events, but the carriage rides, cocoa and discounts can be enjoyed all month long.
Personnel Briefs: February 2021
Jessica E. Stover, Esq., a former partner of The Towne Law Firm, and Christine E. Taylor, a former associate, have both been named as principal partners of the firm.
Stover is in charge of the firm’s Saratoga Springs office location.
Before moving to Saratoga Springs in 2007, Stover attended Union College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She went on to Syracuse University School of Law, where she received her J.D. degree. She also obtained an L.L.M. in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law.
Stover’s real estate law services include both residential and commercial purchase and sales, leases, bank representation, homeowners’ associations/condo associations; title examination and title insurance law, and estate planning.
Taylor joined the firm in 2018 and has refined her practice to focus primarily on the hospitality industry, serving clients across the entire northeast as well as nationally.
Taylor, originally planning to focus her career on entertainment law, attended UCLA School of Law where she received her J.D. degree.
A former professional opera singer, she began her career working with a variety of production companies and movie stations. She ultimately returned to Upstate New York where she transitioned to providing comprehensive legal services to various small businesses, with a specific focus on campgrounds and RV parks.
The Towne Law Firm has local area offices in Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, and Albany, NY
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Sustainable PR, a Glens Falls-based public relations agency providing earned media services to green companies, has expanded its team to serve the communication needs of companies in the green economy.
David R. Evanson, John F. Kouton and Nicole Hallberg collectively bring decades of marketing communications experience in financial communications, public affairs and content marketing to clients seeking to leverage sustainability as a driver for growth, the company said.
The company also announced its first client, Soho Waterworks, a Brooklyn-based start-up water distributor.
Plan By Boat Company To Purchase Of Lake George Forum Is Abandoned
Story updated 3/10/21
By Susan Elise Campbell
The owner of Boats by George has screapped plans to convert the Lake George Forum ice rink and event center into a 50,000-square-foot showroom.
George Pensel cited escalating construction costs. Eestimates came in more than double the $800,000 thathe planned to spend to turn the arena into a headquarters and showroom.
Pensel was under contract to buy the forum from 2200 Route 9 LLC and Ralph Macchio Sr., owner of Wild West Ranch and Western Town.
Pensel said at the time he would keep the 8,000-square-foot flagship facility at 18 Route 149 in Lake George.
Pensel has owned the business for nearly four decades and his two sons are active partners in the company. He said he had needed a larger showroom for some time, as new boat sales have increased year to year along with the company’s market share.
“Boating has allowed people to get out in the fresh air, social distance, and enjoy the outdoors,” said Pensel. “Manufacturers have had trouble keeping up with the demand for boats. The marine industry has had a big expansion this year.”
Queensbury-Based Gross Electric Reports A Record $65 Million Sales For 2020
By Christine Graf
Queensbury-based electrical contractor Gross Electric reported record breaking sales of $65 million in 2020.
The company was founded in 1994 by Joseph Gross. He started the business out of his garage and had 40 employees by the end of his first year. Today, Gross Electric has 300 employees and satellite offices in Virginia and Florida. The company performs work along the entire East Coast and as far north as the Canadian border.
“I cut my teeth in the paper industry,” said Gross, noting that Finch Pruyn was his first major customer. “The paper industry was very good to us, but unfortunately, that industry has faded.”
Gross Electric was able to find new opportunities in the cement industry and has performed work at Glens Falls Cement and Lafarge Ravena Cement Plant. The company also works in the food processing industry, and customers have included Beech-Nut Fla Company in Amsterdam. Their biggest break came about five years ago when they were hired to do the electrical work for the Global Foundries administrative offices in Malta.
“After that, we earned their trust and picked up quite a lot of work at Global Foundries,” said Gross. “With them giving us the opportunity, that opened up other opportunities in the industry.”
As a result, Gross Electric was able to secure work at some of the largest chip manufacturing projects on the East Coast. Crews are currently working at the $3 billion Micron Technology plant that is under construction in Manassas, Va. Gross’s son Kyle is overseeing work there. His son Kevin manages prefabrication, purchasing, and logistics at the company’s 60,000-square-foot facility in Queensbury.
“I’m proud to say the company is moving into a second generation,” said Gross.
Gross Electric also has crews working at the new Regeneron Pharmaceutical plant in East Greenbush and the Cree Inc. semiconductor plant that is under construction near Utica.
My Turn: Rural Digital Divide Disparity Must Be Stopped
By State Sen. Dan Stec
The governor’s promise almost five years ago of high-speed broadband for all remains unfulfilled.
Having heard frustrated pleas from families, businesses, schools and many others, my colleagues and I proposed legislation last year to drill down into this problem and come up with solutions to end this technological inequality. The governor’s recent veto of our proposal is very disappointing.
In 2015, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the New NYS Broadband Program, a $500 million investment to reach under and unserved regions. His website assured that as of 2018, “99.9 percent of New Yorkers” would have access to high-speed broadband. The state Broadband office last year claimed 98 percent of New York has that access.
However, based on my conversations with town and county supervisors, school superintendents and parents I am sure that is not the case for upstate New York.
During the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, over 700,000 students and 18,000 teachers statewide lacked broadband access as estimated by Common Sense Media. At a time when in-person learning was impossible, 27 percent of students couldn’t access remote learning.
On top of this, you had hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers working from home and businesses trying to maximize their online presence to offset the loss of in-person service. We saw that our state’s internet infrastructure was incapable of meeting the needs of a substantial portion of our residents.
Cool Insurance Purchased By Company; Downtown Arena Will Retain Its Name
By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Gallagher, a global insurance and risk management brokerage firm that acquired Cool Insurance in Glens Falls in December, has decided the arena in downtown Glens Falls will remain the Cool Insuring Arena, at least through 2025.
The Gallagher agency specializes in serving construction and healthcare industry clients, as well as governments and municipalities, which together account for more than half of its revenues.
Anthony Mashuta, Ira Neifeld and their associates at Cool Insurance will continue to operate from their current locations under the direction of Patrick Kennedy, head of Gallagher’s Northeast Region retail property/casualty brokerage operations, and Tom Belmont, Jr., head of Gallagher’s Atlantic Region employee benefit consulting and brokerage operations.
“Cool Insuring Agency has operated for more than 160 years and is viewed as the premier independent agency in Upstate New York. Their specialties align closely with our construction, healthcare, senior living and public entity practices,” said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., chairman, president and CEO. “We are delighted to welcome Tony, Ira and their associates to our growing Gallagher team.”
Gallagher has operations in 49 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.
James Joseph Opens ‘Reiki Rising,’ A Massage And Energy Healing Practice On Glen Street
By Andrea Harwood Palmer
James Joseph Jr., owner of Sharp Presents in Queensbury, has opened a Reiki massage practice.
Reiki Rising is located at 458 Glen St. in Glens Falls.
Joseph is certified for Level 1 and Level 2 of Reiki, which is a form of energy healing, in which hands are placed just off the body or lightly touching the body. He was in the process of setting up studio space when COVID hit. Plans were put on hold.
Joseph felt drawn to focus to the practice in the summer of 2019.
“In my head, I kept seeing a blueish-green Phoenix, and hearing the phrase, ‘It’s time to Phoenix. It’s time to step into service.’ I felt the connection to starting from nothing and come into full potential. With Reiki energy, it can raise you up and bring you from the ashes. You can be at your worst, and Reiki energy can help bring you back up to your fullest capacity,” said Joseph.
Reiki Rising is named from the fabled Phoenix, which graces Joseph’s business card.
Joseph was certified by June Stoddard-Finemore, Reiki practitioner and masseuse at Renew with June, 458 Glen St. in Glens Falls in the same building where Joseph sees clients.