Jake Van Ness, Author at Glens Falls Business Journal

Jake Van Ness

2231 Articles

Owner Of First Impression Designs In Queensbury Loves Transforming Spaces

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019

This is a bathroom designed by Judi Price, founder of First Impression Designs in Queensbury. She says the parameters for any project are space and budget
Courtesy First Impression Designs

By Susan E. Campbell

In a competitive industry like interior design, the best way to stand out is to ask smart questions, listen to how your clients answer, and interpret that knowledge, according to veteran designer Judi Price, founder of First Impression Designs in Queensbury.

“A good designer never designs for themselves or their own taste, but guides the client according to their lifestyle and preferences,” said Price.

Price is a 25-year design veteran who pursued her interior design degree later in life, fulfilling a desire she had since age 18. She set up shop in the North Country eight years ago, returning from a successful career in New Jersey to the area where she grew up until junior high school.

“But I always returned every summer to grandma’s place on Lake George,” she said.

Those summers provided much opportunity to make contacts for her future interior design business. One in particular was a contractor she knew all her life who sent her many referrals, so projects had taken her back and forth for many years until she decided to resettle upstate.

Adirondack Mountain Club Cycling Event Raises Money For Outreach And Advocacy

July 15, 2019

Riders participate in last year’s ididaride!, a major fundraiser for the Adirondack Mountain Club, featuring two distinct courses. This year’s event is July 27.
Courtesy ADK

The Adirondack Mountain Club’s (ADK)largest one-day fundraiser will take place on July 27.

It raises money for educational outreach, recreational opportunities, and stewardship and advocacy programs important to its mem.bers and supporters.

ADK’s “ididaride!” has grown into a major fundraiser for the club, featuring two distinct courses. The 75-mile route has not changed since the inaugural ride in 2006.

Departing from the Ski Bowl Pavilion in North Creek, riders meander along Peace.ful Valley Road to Route 8 through Bakers Mills, Wells, Speculator, Sabael, Indian Lake, to North River and back to North Creek on Route 28. A long descent begins in the hamlet of Indian Lake and meets the Hudson River in the hamlet of North River, with a relatively easy ride into North Creek.

The entire distance has been designed for the long-distance bike enthusiast, with designated bike routes marked on the wide shoulders.

The new 23-mile off-road course was devel.oped by Paul Abess, one of the ride originators, and is tucked conveniently within the hamlet of North Creek, with a super-scenic mountain/hybrid bike route crossing both Straight and Chatiemac Brooks along with their waterfalls. Riders will continue past Mill Brook, passing through tiny Riparius and its historic train depot, then along rural sections of the Mighty Hudson River as it flows through the village of North Creek.

New Lake George Restaurant, Gaslight, Is A Mediterranean Spot With Family Tradition

July 15, 2019

Frank Mineo has opened a new Mediterranean bistro in Lake George.
Courtesy Gaslight

By Jill Nagy

Gaslight, Frank Mineo’s new Mediterranean bistro in Lake George, continues a family restaurant tradition that traces back to his great grandfather, Danny Jordan.

“I thought I’d get back to my roots,” Mineo said.

The restaurant is located at 91 Canada St. in Lake George, next door to his mother’s DJ’s Nightclub and on property formerly occupied by Great Grandpa’s Papa Wow’s.

The kitchen is headed by executive chef Ray Bohmer, who also has a bit of a local history. He cooked at the Sagamore and other area restaurants and then worked as a butcher for a wholesale grocer. Mineo said, “He wanted to get back in the game.”

Bohmer will also continue butchering at Gaslight.

Senior Center of Kingsbury And Fort Edward Runs Programs That Improve Quality Of Life

July 15, 2019

Max McDonnell, executive director of the Senior Center of Kingsbury and Fort Edward, oversees programs that include physical fitness, cultural enrichment, nutrition, education and health.

by Andrea Palmer

The Senior Center of Kingsbury and Fort Edward, 78 Oak St., Hudson Falls, has been an area resource for many years.

Max McDonnell, executive director of the center for nine of those years said he is “proud of all the services, programs and activities we have. We work closely with the municipalities of the town of Kingsbury the village of Hudson Falls and the town and village of Fort Edward. We work closely with the Washington County Office for the Aging, and the Tri-County United Way.”

“It’s a rewarding job,” said McDonnell. “What a great opportunity it is to work with seniors, and to be the director of the Senior Center. I enjoy going to work every day.”

He said the center gives the seniors the opportunities they want and need “to live the best lives possible. This includes physical fitness, transportation, cultural enrichment, socialization, nutrition, education and health information, and community interaction.”

People Over 50 Opening A Business Should Be Careful With Investment Funds

July 15, 2019

Ginny Brandreth is the co-owner of Zobel & Co. kitchens in Glens Falls.

By Christine Graf

An estimated 29 million Americans between the ages of 50 and 70 say they are interested in starting a new business. In recent years, more than a quarter of all new businesses were started by people over the age of 50, analysts say.

Starting a business at any age can be a daunting task, and approximately half of all new small businesses close within five years. It is for that reason that experts warn those in the 50-plus age group to avoid investing their retirement income in new business. If a business fails, there is less time to rebuild these retirement savings.

Lake George human resources consultant Gail Hamel advises new business owners to be prepared to weather financial difficulties.

“They have to make sure they are going to be able to live without making money, and that they have some sort of fallback for a while until money starts coming in. I think that’s the hardest part for a lot of people. It’s not for everybody,” she said.

Hamel started her own business, Hamel Resources, when she was 52. She said it took almost two year before her business began to generate a steady stream of income. Before starting her own company, she worked as a human resources manager for a bank with more than 20,000 employees.

“I went from that steady paycheck getting dumped into my account every two weeks to draining my savings,” she said.

Wesley Community Renovating Apartments; Phased Work Schedule Is Three Years-Plus

July 15, 2019

The Wesley Community CEO Brian Nealon says a renovation project will cost $20 million.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth

The Wesley Community in Saratoga is undergoing renovations.

Wesley CEO Brian Nealon said the $20 million project will include apartment renovations, a memory care assisted living facility and a training center.

Nealon said the entire project will take about three and a half years to complete, pending final approval from the city.

Renovations on the 37-acre property have already begun on the Springs building, the oldest part of the property, according to Nealon.

He said the fifth floor of the residential building has been completed and they will continue to work their way down to lower floors, working on about a quarter of the floor at a time.

AOW Associates of Albany is the construction manager.

Hunt Companies, Construction Company In Argyle, Mapping Out Family Succession Plan

July 15, 2019

Officials of the Hunt Companies, including husband and wife Amie and Juan Gonzales in the forefront, pose at the company’s headquarters on County Road 45 in Argyle.
Andrea Palmer

by Andrea Palmer

Hunt Companies Inc. (HCI) is a general contractor in Argyle that recently underwent Phase 1 of succession planning, as Amie Gonzales was voted in as president at the annual shareholders meeting in January.

The company was started by Amie’s parents, Dennis and Cindy Hunt, over 30 years ago. Juan Gonzales is the chief financial officer, as well as Amie’s husband. When Gonzales began visiting then-girlfriend Amie many years ago, he saw first-hand the grit Denny and Cindy put into keeping the company running.

“Their vision was, as a general contractor, to take care of the team and take care of the employees through all the ups and downs,” said Gonzales. “They went through the full spectrum of what a lot of small businesses go through—paying payroll with credit cards, taking money from their personal savings to keep the company alive, Denny spending hours upon hours in the field during the day and then hours upon hours on the laptop at night. Keeping the company afloat.”

The Hunt Companies niche is the restaurant business, specifically fast food. They have done work for McDonald’s in Boston and the surrounding region. Hunt Companies has also done work with Popeye’s, Taco Bell and other restaurants.

New Storage Units Being Constructed On Bay Road In Queensbury Near Duke Concrete

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019

Cerrone Builders and DA Collins are partnering on a project to build Bay Road Self Storage in Queensbury. The first phase of the project will be four storage buildings.
Andrea Palmer

by Andrea Palmer

New storage units are going up on Bay Road next to Duke Concrete.

Bay Road Self Storage is in the midst of construction, with Cerrone Builders leading the project.

Cerrone Builders and DA Collins are partnering on the project. Kubricky Construction, a subsidiary of DA Collins, owned the property on which the units are being built.

Gianni Simone is a partner at Cerrone Builders.

“It’s a joint venture between us and DA Collins. We’re partnering with subsidiary Kubricky on the property and DA Collins on the construction,” said Simone.

“Right now we’re starting with Phase 1, which is four buildings. We’re going to end up with roughly 60,000 square feet of non-temperature-controlled space in the standard sizes. We’ll also have outdoor storage as well for boats and RVs,” said Simone.

National Group: 39 States, Not NY, Added Construction Jobs; Workforce Shortages Noted

July 15, 2019

Texas and West Virginia Have Biggest Number and Percent of Annual Job Gains as Louisiana Has Worst Losses; California and North Dakota Experience Largest One-Month Gains, While New York and West Virginia Lag

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between May 2018 and May 2019, while construction employment increased in 31 states and D.C. from April to May, including New York state, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Association officials said the new construction employment data underscores the need for new federal investments in career and technical education programs as well as immigration reform.

“Construction demand remains strong, and contractors increased their workforce in most states over the past year, yet the record number of job openings at the end of April implies contractors would add even more workers if they could,” said chief economist Ken Simonson. “With the unemployment rate now near a 50-year low, it is more challenging than ever for contractors to hire and retain qualified employees.”

AHI Gets Grant To Aid Telehealth Tech Center

July 15, 2019

The Adirondack Health Institute has received a grant from the Charles R. Wood Foundation to develop a Telehealth Technical Assistance Center.

Funding will be used to expand telehealth capacity over a 12-month period in nine North Country counties to improve care, support patients post-discharge, and serve the needs of aging residents.

“The Telehealth Technical Assistance Center’s vision is to connect multi-sector collaborators such as health care providers, school administrators, health workers, and community members through telehealth, a vital service with huge potential for making a positive impact in our rural communities,” said Katy Cook, project manager, Telehealth, AHI.

“Telehealth has caught the attention of many in the health care field in recent years, but has yet to reach its full potential,” said Cook. “The potential to impact community members’ lives with telehealth technology is significant and this endeavor has the chance to impact thousands of North Country residents by improving access to the care they otherwise would not seek due to travel, work, and family constraints.”