Month: August 2022

By Jill Nagy

Adirondack Winery has opened a new tasting room and event space in Queensbury at 395 Big Bay Road. 

Adirondack Winery, with locations in Lake George and Queensbury, produces 35 varieties of wine from New York state grapes, most of them from the Finger Lakes region. In addition to many standard wine varieties, they specialize in fruit-infused wines.

Sasha Pardy and her husband and co-owner, Michael Pardy, opened their first winery in 2008 at 285 Canada St. in Lake George. That year, Pardy and his father produced 1,000 cases of wine, using a 1,000-square-foot space at the back of the tasting room. They quickly sold out and had to supplement with wines from other New York state wineries. 

Three years later, they moved their wine-making operation to their location in Queensbury and they also renovated and enlarged the Lake George tasting room. Pardy estimated that more than 60,000 people visit that tasting room each year. The winery added Brad Casacci to its staff, promoting him to winemaker in 2021.

The Pardys also developed an online sales capacity and began shipping their wine to 35 states.  

By Jill Nagy

Morcon, a paper products company in Eagle Bridge, plans a major expansion of its facility. 

Company president Joe Raccula expects to have the final piece of the puzzle in place by the end of the month when the Waren-Washington Industrial Development Agency (IDA) os expected to approve the company’s application for a tax abatement package.

The total cost of the project is budgeted at $15 million. 

To help pay that bill, the company is seeking some $744,000 in sales tax exemptions and $119,000 in mortgage tax exemptions. Preliminary work, like moving fiber optic lines, has already begun.  

The IDA has been “extremely supportive” throughout a two-year planning process, Raccula said. That support influenced the decision to expand in Eagle Bridge rather than at the company’s much larger facility in South Carolina, he noted. 

Morcon manufactures paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue. They buy rolls of paper from factories all over North America and turn the paper into the finished products. 

By R.J. DELUKE

Schermerhorn Real Estate Holdings in Queensbury has purchased the former Water Slide World amusement park property in Lake George for a reported $3 million.

A document was filed July 27 in Warren County, signed by Dawn Koncikowski, who operated the amusement park with her husband Gary until he died in May 2018.

The 12-acre park has been dormant since 2018.It is located at the corner of routes 9 and 9L along the southern entrance to the Lake George village.

Rich Schermerhorn, an active developoer of apartment complexes in the area, was represented by the firm of Bartlett Pontiff Stewart & Rhodes PC in Glens Falls.

Schermerhorn did not respond to requests for comment.

He envisions a mixed-use project with professional offices, some retail and some apartments, according to media reports.

In 2008, the amusement park was listed for sale for $6 million. About a decade later, the owners of Waterslide World asked to have the property included a proposed economic development plan for Lake George that envisioned a year-round community with more commercial and residential development, according to Danial Barusch, director of planning and zoning for the Town of Lake George.

Tricia Rogers is the new president and CEO of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC), the board of directors announced on Aug. 1.

The appointment is effective immediately.

 The announcement was made after a months-long search following the retirement of previous ARCC president Michael Bittel.

 “On behalf of the ARCC board of directors, I am extremely excited to share the news that we have promoted Tricia Rogers to the position of president and CEO,” said Marc Monahan, said ARCC board chair and regional executive vice president of NBT Bank.

“After an extensive search process by the executive team and board of directors, we came to a unanimous decision to select Tricia to lead our organization. The passion and dedication Tricia has for both ARCC members and our community clearly set her apart from the other candidates during the process. We are looking forward to her stepping in to the role of CEO immediately and are excited to support her in this transition,” he said. 

Rogers began her relationship with the ARCC as an ambassador in her early career, and took on the role of membership manager in 2016. She has since worked closely with ARCC members, and the greater business community, on building relationships, promoting growth, and supporting the community in volunteer positions. 

She was promoted to vice president, membership & community engagement in early 2022.

By Christine Graf

In addition to sanding both new and old cabinet doors, Sanding & Handyman Solutions LLC, a Queensbury-based company, sands entry doors, new and old molding, hardwood floors, barn board, and a variety of other materials.

 The company, established by husband and wife Mike and Christine Thorne, does not offer any type of painting or finishing services. 

“We started by selling brush sanding equipment, and we now use that equipment to sand cabinet door,” said Mike Thorne. “People bring their doors to us after they clean them, and we sand them down. The doors are then ready for primer and paint.”

It was through the sanding business that Thorne connected with a contractor who does house flipping in the Albany area. The man needed help with some of the jobs and enlisted Thorne for help. 

“When I started working with him, I was able to re-hone my skills from years ago—doing full remodels, building decks, and other basic handyman services,” he said. “In my past employment, I was a salesman for an abrasives company, but prior to that, I did all sort of construction work.”

United Ag & Turf has opened a  new state-of-the-art facility in Greenwich for selling its John Deere, Stihl, Honda and other products that support residential and commercial landscaping, compact construction equipment needs, and area farms. 

The facility replaces the Schaghticoke building that served as a John Deere dealership for over 40 years. 

The 25,200-square-foot building, located at 217 Route 29 in Greenwich, sits directly next to the Washington County Fairgrounds. It is a full-service store featuring an 11,500-square-foot service department, with 6,000 square feet  of warehouse space and a showroom. Munter Enterprises of Middle Grove was the general contractor.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to not only expand and better serve customers in the greater Schaghticoke/Easton/Greenwich area, but also provide our excellent team here with the best in facilities and improvements to help them continue to perform at the highest level,” United Ag & Turf president Scott Miller said.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in recent years and the demand for the quality products and services that United Ag & Turf offers makes this investment in the area a great fit. We look forward to being a part of the community for many more years to come.”

The Open Door Mission has named an interim executive director to implement the mission’s next phase of growth. 

 Jamie Munyon was selected as interim executive director. He has been with the Mission since 2016, currently serving as program director and previously serving as director of shelter services. 

Previous executive director Dean Brown has stepped down and back into ministry at his local church.

Since 2016, Open Door Mission has embarked on an aggressive campaign to extend programs to the homeless and those impoverished serving Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties. 

Current projects nearing completion include the 52 bed men’s shelter and the Life Path Program floor. The increase in beds will allow the Mission to accept more people into the Life Path Program, officials said.

By Andrea Harwood

Winklepickers in Lake George has expanded at a new location at 222 Canada St.. 

Additionally, store owners Rachel and Dave Dutra are running an AirBnb on the second floor of the new building.

Winklepickers carries mid-to-high-end gifts, novelties, souvenirs, art and décor. Most items are made locally. The store features an exhaustive collection of hand-made loose-leaf teas and hand-made spices from Rachel’s Spice Co.

The Lake George House of Jerky is also located inside the Winklepickers store. 

“I take pride in this space, and in what we’re providing the Village of Lake George,” said Dutra. “I frequently bring in fresh flowers and make sure the floor looks inviting. We aren’t just another T-shirt shop. We’re proud to represent Lake George with a quality store.”

“Winklepickers is for visitors and residents alike,” said Dutra.

“We grew up here and we love this town,” said owner Rachel Dutra. “When we open a store, we’re providing the best quality products and the best quality service, because we believe people deserve that.”

By Andrea Harwood

Haley Gerarde has opened up a new business, Jenny Jo’s Smoothie Bar. The Lake George native operates the mobile smoothie truck in the greater Saratoga and Glens Falls region.

Gerarde purchased the business in early 2021. The smoothie truck was previously known as The Smoothie Shoppe. Gerarde renamed the business and the truck to Jenny Jo’s Smoothie Bar upon acquisition. She operated the business briefly as The Smoothie Shoppe as she waited for her signage to be completed.

Gerarde has two daughters, Genevieve (Jenny) and Josephine (Jo), the namesakes of her business.

Years ago when the business was owned by previous operators and known as The Smoothie Shoppe, Gerarde would take her daughter Jo down to the Spa City Farmer’s Market to get smoothies. She began following The Smoothie Shoppe on social media, and eventually connected with the owners.

About a year ago, one of the previous owners showed interest in selling the business. Gerarde already had interest in starting a business, perhaps a brick-and-mortar breakfast place. When she heard the smoothie shop business was for sale, she inquired right away.