By Susan Elise Campbell

Saratoga Eagle Sales & Service is in the process of acquiring two companies that will expand its reach distributing beer, wine, soft drinks and water to an additional eight counties upstate, according to president and chief operating officer Jeff Vukelic. 

With roots stretching back to Buffalo in 1928 with parent company Try-It Distributing, what started as a beverage bottling business by the late Stephen Vukelic is now a multi-generational family company. With the most recent acquisitions the company will hold exclusive distribution rights to such brands as Budweiser, Rolling Rock and Michelob in a total of 21 counties in upstate New York. 

According to Vukelic, the new acquisitions are Northern Eagle Beverages Inc. out of Oneonta and Seneca Beverage Corp. of Elmira, both Anheuser-Busch distributors. Both will operate under the Saratoga Eagle name.

Saratoga Eagle has been in a growth-through-acquisition model since 2004-2005. This is the time frame when Try-It expanded into the Saratoga and Glens Falls areas with a new distribution hub subsidiary out of Saratoga Springs and grandson Jeff Vukelic took on the role of COO.

“Typically we are purchasing the rights to distribute beverages in the territories of the companies we acquire,” said Vukelic. “Occasionally we acquire a brick and mortar facility, but it is more typical to lease the space where the trucks are loaded for delivery to customers.”

by Jill Nagy

Premium Velocity Auto LLC has purchased nine Jiffy Lube franchises that were part of the  the Hoffman Car Wash chain. The sale closed Dec. 15. 

This is the first venture into New York state for the purchaser, which operates 55 Jiffy Lube franchises in 10 other states.

The car wash chain decided to get out of the Jiffy Lube  business and concentrate on expanding the car wash side of thingss, according to owner Tom Hoffman Jr. His last new Jiffy Lube franchise opened in 2004. Meanwhile, other companies were aggressively expanding their Jiffy Lube portfolios.

Hoffman recently opened a 23rd car wash in Yorkville, a suburb of Utica. Plans for 2022 include outlets in Rome, Gloversville, Cohoes, and Queensbury. When Hoffman opens a new car wash in Oneonta, they will be joined by a Premium Velocity Jiffy Lube franchise.

The newly purchased Jiffy Lube franchises “fit our network,” said Don Hill, president of Premium Velocity. The new owner purchased all of the assets of the Hoffman Car Wash Jiffy Lube outlets and plans to continue operating all of them. Seven of the nine franchises are in buildings  owned by Hoffman. The new owners will lease the buildings from Hoffman. 

“So, we are now landlords,”  Hoffman said. 

All 145 employees will keep their jobs and benefits. 

By Jennifer Farnsworth

After decades of sitting vacant, Wallie’s of Greenwich is once again open for business.

Owner Ted Bearor said the restaurant and pub has gone through a complete restoration on both the interior and exterior of the building at 52-54 Main St., while still maintaining the charm for which it was once known.

Bearor said renovating and re-establishing the business was something he felt confident in taking on because of his industry related background. Taking his experience in the restaurant business, Bearor said, and opening up his own place with a silent partner, felt risky at times, but it was well worth the wait.

“I have been director of food and beverage at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid as well as the director of operations at the Lodge at Six Flags.  Following my hotel work, my business partner and I have been involved in other area restaurants, notably the iconic George’s in Lake George from 2013 to 2020, and finally opening Wallie’s.  We have been challenged, along with many other businesses, during this time due to the pandemic, however we have been fortunate to have great staff and community support,” said Bearor.

First-floor renovations included taking out apartments to make room for what is now the pub area. He said during the demolition phase, the building was discovered to have had five to six additions over the past century or so. Other renovations included replacing the roof, kitchen, bathrooms, ventilation equipment, along with adding in a separate walk-in cooler that can hold up to 12 kegs

By Christine Graf

Country Cottages & Motel in Diamond Point has been sold to Country Cabins LLC for $2,750,000. 

Sellers Ceaser (Charlie) and Virginia Portes enlisted Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group to handle the sale. The real estate firm specializes in the brokerage and sale of hotels, motels, resorts, campgrounds and inns throughout New England and New York state.

The transaction closed on Dec. 28, just over two months after the property was listed for sale.

“The Country Cottages is an extremely well-built property,” said Muroff.  “When Charlie and Ginny Portes acquired the property 30 years ago, there was a three-bedroom log cabin on the property and not much else. He and his father built each of the cabins by hand by themselves over the course of the last 30 years.”

The 3.38-property has 17 private one-, two-, and three-bedroom fully winterized cottages, four motel rooms, and a 3,600-square-foot private residence that was owner occupied by the Portes. 

There is also a heated swimming pool, children’s play area, fitness center, and veranda.

 “As it turns out, the buyer of the Country Cottages & Motel is the individual who I sold Lake George Suites to in June,” said Muroff. “The properties are very close to each other—probably a quarter or a third of a mile away from each other.”

Muroff Hospitality Group announced the sale of The Flamingo Resort on Lake George.

Chris Kozaczka, a Massachusetts real estate investor and tax analyst, and his family purchased the 65-year-old Flamingo Resort located at 3914 Lake Shore Drive, Diamond Point.

The seller was Flamingo Resort Holding LLC and Flamingo Lake George Inc., which is George Pasternak and his sister Chrystyna Panycia, whose parents started the business.

The sales price was $6,5 million.  

Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group represented the Seller and secured the buyer in an exclusive listing. The business transaction closed on Tuesday, Nov. 30 in Glens Falls.

The Flamingo Resort is in the prestigious Diamond Point section of Lake George. Muroff  said the resort has been family owned for nearly 65 years, and the sellers were successful in finding a buyer that would continue their legacy of maintaining a traditional family resort. 

The 4.63-acre property features 59 one-, two- and three-bedroom cabins, most with full kitchens, in addition to a spacious owner’s home, all with views of Lake George.  

Other features include a private sandy beach, two full-size, heated swimming pools and a marina boasting 17 docks and five charter boat licenses.

By Jill Nagy

Mario DiSiena plans to return Suttons Marketplace in Queensbury to its former glory now that he owns the entire parcel.  

His Furniture House has been in the location since 2014. Now, he is updating the rest of the parcel and looking for a restaurant, gift shop, and other businesses to move in.

The existing buildings have “good bones,” he said, and only need painting and minor repairs to bring them up to speed. He has already had the roofs replaced.

Sutton’s Marketplace, he recalled, used to be an “unbelievable destination” that dominated the Glens Falls area. Buses pulled in for breakfast and lunch at the cafe and for people to patronize the gift shop.   

His core business, the Furniture House, has also undergone changes. The major American furniture companies whose products he used to sell are no longer in existence. Instead, he stocks “made in America” furniture from Amish sources, some of them small workshops and others, more substantial operations.   

They sell solid wood, “craftsman quality” furniture at prices competitive with Asian imports, he said. Most of the furniture is of contemporary design but, “We can build anything, any wood, any finish.”

If the standard dresser design is too long or the bedside table is too tall, that can be changed. In addition, Furniture House carries a line of “premium imports” from Vietnam which, DiSiena claims, is better than the goods coming from China.