Jake Van Ness, Author at Glens Falls Business Journal

Jake Van Ness

2440 Articles

Warren County Makes Judge Austin’s History Collection Publicly Available

May 19, 2026

Dr. Stan Cianfarano stands beside Judge John Austin’s local history collection shelves.
Courtesy Dr. Stan Cianfarano

Late Warren County Judge John Austin left behind a collection of books and documents dating to the 1600s that is now available to the public, county officials said.

Austin, a former county judge, historian and Queensbury town supervisor, died in June 2019 at 84. He spent decades researching genealogy, local history, the Town of Queensbury and Warren County.

The Warren County Historian’s Office and Warren County Clerk’s Office organized the materials into a research library housed in the Warren County Clerk’s Office record room.

Before he died, Austin wanted the collection to be available for public use.

“John was an amazing man, and his hope before he passed was that we could find a way to make this available for the public to use,” said Warren County Historian Dr. Stan Cianfarano.

Retired Warren County Clerk Pam Vogel spent hundreds of hours organizing the material so the public could use it, Cianfarano said. Vogel died in October 2025 and left a list of remaining tasks.

Austin also left money in his will to Warren County to preserve and display the collection, officials said.

The shelves include hundreds of books, folders and other materials. Much of the collection pertains to Queensbury residents, along with documents and books related to Irish lineage, information about local immigration from Ireland, and material from the Mayflower Society.

Members of the Warren County Board of Supervisors were shown the collection April 17.

New Sewer Plant Spurs Development, Housing And Tourism In North Creek

May 19, 2026

The new Ski Bowl lodge in North Creek is scheduled to connect to the hamlet’s new sewer system, which town officials say will support housing, tourism and business development in the area soon.
Courtesy Ski Bowl Lodge

By Paul Post

The expected completion this summer of a new $10.1 million sewage treatment plant is spurring transformative economic development in the hamlet of North Creek.

A new Ski Bowl lodge is scheduled to connect to the system when lateral lines are installed this fall, along with the 30-room Public House with two restaurants and the possibility of an affordable housing project that would give people such as Johnsburg Central School teachers a place to live in the community.

“This is exactly how the hamlet of North Creek was zoned by the Adirondack Park Agency more than 50 years ago,” said Town of Johnsburg Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed. “It’s zoned for residential development. The sewer district, which primarily encompasses Main Street and the town-owned Ski Bowl park, is in keeping with that zoning. I think it will attract affordable housing and business growth, particularly restaurants and those things than can feed off the ski industry.”

Plans also call for the opening of a new mountainside alpine coaster ride this summer by the Ski Bowl lodge, making North Creek a more year-round recreational tourist destination.

Owner Of Multiple Subway Franchises Finding Success Developing Retail Plazas

May 19, 2026

A Subway shop anchors a recently completed commercial plaza, built by developer Russ Faden, in The Outlets at Lake George.
Glens Falls Business Journal

By Rod Bacon

A recently completed retail plaza in The Outlets at Lake George is now completely tenanted.

The 8,400-square-foot building houses a Subway sandwich shop, a Silver Cannabis Dispensary, a Hi nails beauty salon, and a Tommy Bahama outlet. There are also 24 storage units behind the building, several of which are still available.

This is the sixth commercial plaza built by developer Russ Faden, who owns 41 Subway franchises in the region.

“One of my Subway shops is in there and I am happy to welcome the other tenants to the project,” he said.

“I built the storage units because it is the best use of the property,” he explained. “They’re hidden behind the commercial building. Now that I’ve had success with these I plan to look for opportunities to build more.”

He has two other commercial developments in Queensbury that are in the planning stages. One is retail and the other is slated to have approximately 34 apartments.

“We’re about to submit our conceptual to the town on that one, so it’s very early in the process,” he said.

Eastern Heating Grows HVAC Business Through Service And New Construction

May 19, 2026

Dan Knapp of Eastern Heating & Cooling points to a control system display as the Albany-based mechanical contractor grows its HVAC service, controls and new construction work across the region.
Courtesy Eastern Heating

By Paul Post

Heating, cooling and ventilation are the unseen components of buildings that house some of the Capital Region’s largest and most important employers, including colleges, hospitals and senior living centers.

Founded 81 years ago, Eastern Heating & Cooling has evolved into a full-service mechanical contractor with $42 million in annual revenue. It specializes in design-build HVAC systems, controls, fabrication and long-term service, with commercial clients within a 100-mile radius of its Albany headquarters.

“We want to be the solution to the problems that keep customers up at night,” company President Buddy Tricarick said. “If we can maintain their equipment, where they don’t have to worry about it, that’s the goal. That’s what exceptional customer service is. Preventive maintenance goes a long way.”

Business Development Manager Luke Schreiber said, “We meet with the customer, talk to them, ask questions and really try to understand what their business and equipment needs are, tailoring an approach that’s better aligned with their business versus a cookie-cutter solution.”

Northern Builders Expands With Focus On Trades, Workforce And Growth

May 19, 2026

Northern Builders owners Nic Denno, bottom left, and Mark Stewart, bottom center, are shown with team members outside the South Glens Falls-based company, which they formed together in 2020.
Courtesy Northern Builders

By Ann Donnelly

When Mark Stewart and Nic Denno merged their independent contracting companies to form Northern Builders in 2020, they brought more than construction expertise to the table. Both men balanced successful careers in law enforcement with their building endeavors, an experience that forged a strong foundation for their business partnership.

Stewart, a former investigator who retired from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department in 2023, and Denno, who worked as a police officer and a contractor for about 20 years before retiring in 2025, met while working the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at the sheriff’s department. Today, their South Glens Falls-based company employs 22 to 24 in-house staff members and manages 40 to 60 subcontractors daily. The team oversees 12 to 14 major projects at any given time, handling custom residential homes, commercial projects and high-end renovations.

“We really wanted to switch from being contractors and home builders to a construction company,” Stewart said.

For Denno, the partnership thrives on the mutual respect they built in their previous careers.

Countryside Adult Home Blends Residential Care, Meals And Community Engagement

May 19, 2026

Countryside Adult Home in Warrensburg is a 48-bed adult home offering residential care, day care and respite services, while preparing Meals on Wheels deliveries for Warren County residents.
Glens Falls Business Journal

By Carol Ann Conover

Amy McByrne started working at Warren County’s Countryside Adult Home straight out of high school, thinking she was taking a gap year. Thirty-five years later, she is the facility’s director.

“I thought I was taking a gap year,” McByrne said. “And then all of a sudden it’s, yeah, I’m 20, and I’m like, you know, I really love what I do. And it just became — yeah, this is it, this is me.”

The facility, at 353 Schroon River Road in Warrensburg, is a 48-bed adult home owned and operated by Warren County and regulated by the New York State Department of Health. It operates on a social model of care — not acute medical care — designed for individuals who need supervision, medication assistance, transportation to appointments, help with personal care and access to nutritious meals but who do not require skilled nursing.

Beyond residential services, Countryside operates an adult day care program, offers respite care and serves as the production site for the Warren County Office for the Aging’s Meals on Wheels program. The facility prepares about 100 meals a day, five days a week, for delivery by Office for the Aging staff and volunteers throughout the Warrensburg and Chestertown areas.

Regional Childcare Shortage Pushes Families, Employers And YMCA To Adapt

May 19, 2026

Children take part in a Saratoga Regional YMCA activity as the organization expands child care programs across the region to help families and employers adapt to a shortage of available slots.
Courtesy SRYMCA

By Carol Ann Conover

When a parent in Warren, Washington or Saratoga counties goes looking for infant care today, the search often ends before it begins. The wait list at the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s Malta Early Learning Center stretches two years. In some cases, families are signing up before they even try to conceive.

That reality is not an anomaly. It is the baseline. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of regulated childcare facilities in Warren County fell 40 percent, from 50 to 30, according to a 2023 needs assessment by the Southern Adirondack Child Care Network. Washington County lost 37 percent of its facilities over the same period. Across New York state, 60 percent of census tracts qualified as childcare deserts in 2023, a designation meaning at least three children under age five exist for every available slot, according to a February 2025 report from the Office of the State Comptroller. Rural upstate communities, the report found, are the most negatively affected.

Into that void, the Saratoga Regional YMCA operates a layered system of childcare programming across its six branches. The association expanded its footprint on Jan. 1, 2025, when the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area officially merged to become its sixth branch, deepening the organization’s reach across Warren County. The programming spans a licensed full-day daycare center at its Malta Early Learning Center serving approximately 100 children from infancy through kindergarten, a half-day preschool program at its Saratoga Springs branch serving 45 children ages 2 through 4, Universal Pre-Kindergarten classrooms operated in partnership with the Saratoga Springs and Schuylerville school districts serving roughly 72 children, and a school-age before-and-after-care program operating at 15 locations across seven school districts throughout the three-county region, including Glens Falls, Queensbury, Ballston Spa, and Saratoga Springs.

Queensbury Plaza Adds Three New Businesses As Leasing Momentum Builds

April 21, 2026

Construction is underway on a new 7 Brew drive-thru coffee kiosk at Queensbury Plaza on Upper Glen Street, one of three businesses set to join the shopping center as leasing activity builds.
Glens Falls Business Journal

By Paul Post

Three new firms are coming to Queensbury Plaza on Upper Glen Street, triggering interest from other retailers that could fill the site’s remaining vacancies.

Construction is underway for a 7 Brew drive-through-only coffee kiosk, a Burlington clothing store will occupy the former Joann Fabrics and Crafts space, and a Mexican restaurant, Mi Rancho Alegre, is taking over the former Red Lobster site.

“The business climate in Queensbury is quite strong right now,” said Michael Palumbo, chief operating officer of Rochester-based Flaum Management Co., the plaza’s owner. “Tourism in that area seems to be growing, driving traffic up there. That’s what is prompting these tenants to be looking for new locations. I think our shopping center is probably the most well-positioned in Queensbury.”

“We’ve got some other nationals looking at the plaza now, so we’re working on a couple deals for the last few vacancies,” he said. “Having the right mix of tenants, visibility and positioning — all of these things go into site selection by nationals and even the regionals.”

Log Jam Restaurant Celebrates 50 Years Of Consistency And Economic Impact

April 21, 2026

The Log Jam Restaurant Rt. 9-149 in Lake George marks 50 years as a landmark dining destination, with steady operations and a long role in the region’s seasonal hospitality economy.
Courtesy Log Jam

By Staff Writer

For 50 years, consistent management and operations have made The Log Jam Restaurant a landmark destination restaurant and steady economic contributor in one of New York’s most seasonal tourism markets.

“My biggest thing is consistency,” said Tony Grecco, who has spent nearly four decades with the business and more than 30 years in a management role. “I want people to know when they come, what they’re going to get, and it’s going to be the same every time.”

That consistency has translated into scale. The restaurant seats approximately 250 guests and, during peak August demand, turns tables three times per night while averaging about 600 dinners. Lunch service adds another 300 to 400 customers daily, bringing total volume to between 800 and 1,000 patrons on a typical summer day.

The menu remains rooted in steakhouse tradition, with custom-cut steaks prepared in-house alongside seafood and fish offerings. That consistent approach to quality, combined with the restaurant’s signature salad bar, has helped define its identity for generations of customers.

In a tourism-driven market like Lake George, where seasonal fluctuations can challenge staffing, pricing and operations, that level of sustained volume carries broader economic implications.

Siena Research Institute Reports New York Consumer Sentiment Lowest Since 2022

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026

The New York State Index of Consumer Sentiment fell to 65.6 in the first quarter, down 3.2 points from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Siena Research Institute. The reading is the state’s lowest since June 2022.

Siena said New York sentiment remains above the national index of 53.3, which rose 0.4 points. New York’s current index slipped 0.4 points to 63.3, while the measure of future expectations dropped 4.8 points to 67.2. Siena said future confidence in New York is at its lowest level since October 2013 and that the overall index has been below the breakeven point of balanced optimism and pessimism for five straight quarters.

“While the national Index of Consumer Sentiment rose slightly, mostly driven by the sharp increase in the current sentiment, New York’s overall Index dropped by 3.2 points,” according to Travis Brodbeck, SRI’s Associate Director of Data Management. “In New York, the drop in the Index is driven by the steep decline in future confidence, the Index of Consumer Expectations, which is at its lowest point since October of 2013. Both in New York and nationally, there was at least a 2.9-point drop in future confidence. In New York, confidence in the future dropped across all demographic groups with the most dramatic decline among Republicans dropping 14.1 points to 74.9.”

Siena said buying plans were mostly unchanged. Intentions to buy a home fell 1.0 percentage point to 9.9%. Plans to buy a car or truck declined 0.7 percentage point to 18.3%, and major home improvement plans edged down to 22.1%. Plans to buy consumer electronics rose to 41.6%, and plans to purchase furniture increased 5.6 percentage points to 30.1%.

Siena reported that 79% of New Yorkers said food costs were having a very or somewhat serious impact on their financial condition, and 51% said the same about gasoline prices, up five points from last quarter. Utilities were cited as a very or somewhat serious impact by 75%, up five points.