Jake Van Ness, Author at Glens Falls Business Journal

Jake Van Ness

2231 Articles

New Owners Of ‘Pure ‘N Simple’ Store Continue To Sell Locally Produced Products

October 17, 2022

Andrew and Kristen Holt, new owners of the Glens Falls health food store Pure ‘n Simple, pose in the East Washington Street business with their children.

By Christine Graf

Husband and wife Andrew and Kristen Holt are the new owners of the Glens Falls health food store Pure ‘n Simple.

The couple purchased the business from longtime owners Paul and Bonnie Savard. It is located at 4 East Washington Street.

Pure ‘n Simple sells a broad range of vitamin and mineral supplements as well as bulk foods including nuts, fruits, grains, and flours. They also offer an assortment of other grocery items, many of which are vegan, dairy free, and gluten free. Although the store does not currently sell produce or meat, the new owners hope to carry these products in the future.

Kristen is a native of Upstate New York, and the couple moved to the Glens Falls area seven years ago after spending the first four years of their married life living Kenya, Africa.

While in Kenya, Andrew worked as the country director for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that operated schools, orphanages, and medical clinics.

After moving to New York, he was the pastor of a church in Saratoga Springs for several years. He now works full-time for the U.S. Postal Service. Kristen was a stay-at-home mom to their four children before they bought Pure ‘n Simple. She is now the store’s only employee.

Albany Med To Rebrand Hospitals In Its System, Including Saratoga And Glens Falls

October 17, 2022

The Albany Med Health System is embarking on an evolution of its brand to reflect the unity of its member organizations and its commitment to provide the widest range of medical and surgical services to patients across northeastern New York.

Albany Medical Center, Columbia Memorial Health, Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, and the Visiting Nurses will now share a common visual identity anchored by the Albany Med Health System name and logo.

This representation draws upon the identity of Albany Medical Center as the region’s academic medical and tertiary care center. It also conveys the collaborative extension of adult and pediatric specialties from the hospital to community-based locations and to the home.

“Our people are the backbone of our brand,” said Albany Med Health System President and CEO Dr. Dennis P. McKenna. “We are one team, 16,000 professionals strong, standing ready to care for the three million people of our region. When patients see the Albany Med Health System brand, they can rest assured they have a direct connection to the most advanced quality services and the largest team of health care experts from the Mid-Hudson Valley to the North Country. We are partners along every step of the journey—because good health makes anything possible.”

“Being part of the Albany Med Health System means much more than just five institutions sharing a common look,” said Paul Scimeca, president and CEO of Glens Falls Hospital. “It is more important now than ever to show the region we are working together toward a common goal of providing everyone with high quality healthcare—and to showcase the great careers our friends and neighbors can have at all of these excellent institutions.”

Officials said consumers are increasingly seeking easy access to highly specialized care. The Albany Med Health System expands access through collaboration. One brand identity explains the strength and scope of the system from primary to urgent, hospital, surgical, postsurgical, and home care. It demonstrates the links between community hospitals and Albany Medical Center’s advanced services, which extend additional resources through the region and for patients who require a higher level of care.

Sally Strasser’s Love Of Music Leads To Design Of Fibhorn High-End Audio Speakers

October 17, 2022

Sally Strasser enjoys listening to music so much that she designed her own speakers, which she sells at The Listening Place, 153 Maple St. in Glens Falls.

By Christine Graf

Local artist Sally Strasser has a collection of over 10,000 LP vinyl records and enjoys listening to music so much that she designed her own speakers.

“I believe my speaker design is unique on the planet,” said Strasser. “It employs the Fibonacci number sequence in the internal configuration of the cabinet. Every single musical tone on planet earth falls on the Fibonacci number sequence. Because of that, I thought it made sense to design speaker so that it favored and emphasized and perfectly reproduced all of those numbers when you translated them into the sequences of musical tones. And it works.”

The Fibonacci number sequence is a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two that proceed it.

When designing the speakers, Strasser, made certain that “everything inside of the cabinet is designed to fall on that sequence—the area, height, width, length. It truly makes a difference,” she said.

Strasser designs and builds all of her speaker cabinets herself. She developed a love for woodworking while in shop class at Lake George High School.

Stace’s Place Opens In Warrensburg, Owner Of Restaurant Wants To Give To Community

October 17, 2022

Stacey Webster is the owner of Stace’s Place on 3897 Main St. in Warrensburg, which she runs as a place where family and senior citizens can be comfortable while they dine.

By Susan Elise Campbell

A series of fortunate and unfortunate events culminated in an opportunity for Warrensburg native Stacey Webster to open the lunch and dinner restaurant she has always wanted to operate.

According to Webster, the newly opened Stace’s Place on 3897 Main St. is her way to give back to her community while honoring her family.

“My husband and I were always on the go to flea markets, camping and fishing as a family,” said Webster. “For 20 years there was no time nor opportunity to begin a business.”

Webster’s husband passed away in 2020. She said she took a full year to “get situated and then started to do something totally different. My mother and grandparents instilled in me that whatever I do, I should enjoy it and give back to the community,” she said. “My family goes back many generations in Warrensburg.”

“They would tell me to feed the customers with love and make sure the food is good,” said Webster.

Webster knew she did not want to buy real estate. As she started researching concepts and locations for her restaurant, she was talking to a friend whose uncle owned a building on Main Street. She contacted him and soon became the new tenant.

Rachel McDermott Builds Strong Craft Brewery Business On Her Farm In Moreau

October 17, 2022

Rachel McDermott poses in front of her craft brewery at Dancing Grain Farm in Moreau. She harvests the products she needs on her farm.
Paul Post photo

By Paul Post

While many people were at the beach or enjoying backyard barbecues, Rachel McDermott spent Fourth of July weekend harvesting barley for her new craft brewery.

Ninety percent of Dancing Grain Brewery’s ingredients are raised in fields surrounding the farm-based business, located at 180 Old West Road in Moreau, just south of Northway Exit 17.

“This is all hand-selected intentionally to give you something you can’t get somewhere else, from people who have painstakingly suffered all the trials and tribulations to make it possible,” McDermott said. “I want to grow really good crops. I want to share that story with people who come here to enjoy good beer. This is the first brewery I know of where a grain farm is taking on this production aspect of beer.”

Raised in Schaghticoke on her family’s West Wind Ag farm, McDermott studied applied economics and management at Cornell University en route to an exciting investment banker’s career with firms in Houston and New York City.

But upon turning 30, she took inventory of her life’s goals and gave it all up to come back home and help out on the farm.

Foothills Builders Will Start Construction Of A 24-Unit Apartment Complex This Year

October 17, 2022

This is a rendering of the 24-unit apartment complex Foothills Builders is planning to build near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury. The project includes some retail space.
Courtesy Foothills Builders

By Susan Elise Campbell

Foothills Builders will begin construction of a 24-unit apartment complex with retail space near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury this fall .

“We are finishing up our construction drawings now and hope to frame up the building before winter,” said Joe Leuci, who has operated the company with his father, Joe Leuci Sr., for the past 10 years. “This project at 80 Main St. is a new challenge for us.”

The Leucis purchased the land in December 2021 with the intention of developing it for mixed use, he said.

Foothills Builders is primarily a residential construction company and has built 100 homes in the area and has developed and managed some smaller commercial projects.

“The corridor is being developed for that type of construction because it connects the highway with downtown Queensbury,” said Leuci.

He said properties must be developed for mixed use if they are within a certain distance from Main Street.

“The commercial space follows Main Street zoning regulations,” said Leuci. “We will be able to subdivide to do more local shops to suit the tenants. Based on preliminary discussions with potential businesses, the space will fill up quickly,” he added.

Glens Falls Planning Board Approval Allows Development On South Street To Proceed

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022

This is a rendering of the Elm Street and South Street area being redeveloped by SpringCity Development Group. It will include much-needed apartment units.
Courtesy SpringCity Development

By R.J. DeLuke

The Glens Falls Planning Board approved the architectural site plan for the $30 million overhaul of South Street.

The board’s action took place Oct. 4.

The plan being carried out by SpringCity Development Group, a subsidiary of Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs, calls for renovating three vacant buildings while adding a five-story apartment complex.

It is all part of a major, long-envisioned rehabilitation of that part of downtown. The city received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state in 2016 to push the project along.

Larry Novik, business development director for Bonacio Construction and SpringCity, said the first phase will take about 12 months. The company is working with Glens Falls Farmers’ Market Association to make sure market vendors are not disturbed in either the summer of 2023 or 2024 by the construction.

Approximately 90 apartments will be built, something economic development officials fee is vital to the area. Also, nearly 14,000 square feet of commercial space at the corner of South and Elm streets will be built.

Business Report: Area Housing Market On Strong Footing

October 17, 2022

Steven Luttman, broker/owner of SJ Lincoln Realty, host of The Expected Returns podcast.

By Steven Luttman

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil made famous the phrase “All politics is local”. The meaning being that while problems exist on a national level, at the end of the day voters care most about issues close to home.

I would make the argument that real estate, much like politics, is predominantly a local matter. Do country-wide trends matter? Certainly yes. Monitoring data like the monthly Case-Shiller Home Price Index will provide good insight into the overall health of housing.

Does it accurately reflect what’s currently happening in your neighborhood? Oftentimes not at all. Predicting the future of local housing markets can be more art than science. If you don’t believe me, ask Zillow.

The real estate platform lost hundreds of millions of dollars last year due to its iBuyer algorithm overpricing offers made to sellers. As of the writing of this article, publicly traded shares of Zillow Group (ZG) were down 52 percent year to date, vastly underperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) as a whole by roughly half over the same period. Computers are great, but boots on the ground still count for something.

What we do know is that taking a long-term viewpoint, the Capital Region housing market is on sound footing. Our two largest employers (healthcare and local / state government) represent sectors unlikely to see a contraction in staffing, regardless of external economic events. While negative net migration in the state is concerning, this is overwhelmingly a downstate problem.

Home Prices In New York State Rise Again, According To Realtors Association Data

October 17, 2022

During August, the Southern Adirondack real estate market saw increased prices and lower levels of inventory compared to August 2021, with homes spending less time on the market and selling above list price.

“Our market’s trend of higher prices and fewer listings continued in August,” said Densay Sengsoulavong, CEO of the Southern Adirondack Realtors that includes Washington and Warren counties.

“While some experts believe price growth may moderate in the months ahead, the Southern Adirondack region is still showing signs of strong demand with high prices and quick sales. Unless we see a spike in inventory or a drop in demand, we’re likely to see a continued seller’s market pushing prices higher for the foreseeable future.”

New listings in the region decreased 13.1 percent in August compared to last year, from 633 to 550. The inventory of homes for sale dropped 31.6 percent, from 1,423 to 974, and pending sales decreased 3.3 percent, from 511 to 494. Closed sales were down 11.4 percent, from 537 to 476. Sellers received 102.2 percent of their list price in August, compared to 101.6 percent in August 2021.

The median sales price increased 6 percent, from $320,900 to $340,000. Homes spent an average of 19 days on the market last month, compared to 29 days in August last year. The months supply of inventory decreased 20 percent, from 3 to 2.4.

Southern Adirondack Realtors Inc. represents over 500 Realtors and real estate industry professionals in New York’s Southern Adirondack region. For more information, visit southernadkrealtors.org.

Business Report: Technology, Outsourcing Help

October 17, 2022

Mark Shaw, president and CEO of Stored Technology Solutions Inc. (StoredTech).

By Mark Shaw

The economy is bumpy, but technology and outsourcing can make it smoother.

The first thing we all do during uncertain economic times is look for ways to save money and get the most bang for our buck. Just like with anything else, we can seek savings and efficiencies with technology.

All business owners have grown dramatically more dependent on technology to run their businesses, manage their information, and support their remote and onsite workforces. When considering your in-house IT staff, or in many cases what we often call the one-man band, you uncover lack of skills in one area or another. One small team does not possess the knowledge and skills about every aspect of the vastly rapid changing IT world.

Think about the laundry list of items that your in-house IT staff needs to be familiar with to provide daily support for your business. Your IT, telecommunications and security needs go on and on, but below are a few of the items needed to have expertise in: