jessewinters, Author at Glens Falls Business Journal

jessewinters

588 Articles

Economical Outlook 2020: Thomas Albrecht

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Thomas Albrecht, president and CEO, Hilltop Construction Co., Hudson Falls.
Courtesy Hilltop Construction Co.

By Thomas Albrecht
Its hard to talk about exciting and important topics like the boom in construction or consumer confidence, or what the Baby Boomers and Millennials want, when the demand for skilled construction related jobs are at an all-time high.
If you look back at the last five years, I have mentioned the coming of a crises. Well, here we are 2020, and secured construction projects are outpacing the number of employees currently in construction and those entering the trades.
NAHB (National Association Home Builders) Chief Economist Robert Dietz noted in his blog that the open positions rate dipped 4 percent in October, after reaching a cycle high of 5.5 percent in April. Furthermore, Dietz said the overall trend for opening construction jobs has been increasing since the end of the Great Recession, matching NAHB and other survey data showing access to skilled labor remains a top business challenge for home builders.

Economical Outlook 2020: David Kopyc

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

David Kopyc, president of Retirement Planning Group LLC in Glens Falls.
Courtesy Retirement Planning Group LLC

By David Kopyc
I’ve been fortunate to have been in the financial services business for over 35 years. I saw the Dow break 2000 for the first time and every major event since. Flash crash, internet melt down, financial crisis etc.
I’ve always resorted back to the individuals that I feel are the backbone and the individual financial pillars of our industry: Peter Lynch (Fidelity), Jack Bogle (Vanguard), Charles Schwab (Schwab Investments), and Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway).
If you remember about one year ago, the markets were in high anxiety and most of the wall street experts were predicting doom and gloom. We were heading for a recession and the stock market was positioned for a major pullback. We are having an exceptional year in the markets and the same experts that were wrong about this year are pretty optimistic for 2020.

Economical Outlook 2020: Michael Bittel

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Michael Bittel, ARCC chief executive officer and president.
Courtesy ARCC

By Michael Bittel
We live in the most beautiful area of the country right here in Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex Counties. From our Adirondack Mountains, to beautiful Lake George to the rolling farms of Washington County, we are blessed to live and work here. The passion of our community is second to none with robust companies, big and small, who are vested in our region.
I am always amazed at the amount of giving in both time and money that our business community offers to our greater community. So how do we keep that going and what does 2020 have to offer our business climate and in turn our community?
First and foremost, I am very bullish for 2020 on the continued success of our region’s business community. Small businesses continue to start up in our area at a record pace. Our larger employers continue to expand. Our health care, our education system, our cultural attractions and the beauty of our area all hit high grades by our neighbors.

Economical Outlook 2020: Ed Bartholomew

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Ed Bartholomew, president and CEO, EDC Warren County.
Courtesy EDC Warren County

By Ed Bartholomew
EDC Warren County is a private, nonprofit organization governed by an independent board of directors. The corporation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of the county’s residents by helping businesses and industry grow and prosper.
EDC holds an annually executed contract for services with Warren County to perform economic development services including but not limited to the following:
• Support existing companies through technical and regulatory assistance and act as a liaison between business and government.
• Market county and regional assets to prospective investors, employers and site selectors.
• Coordinate incentive and assistance programs that include interaction with local and state agencies.

Saratoga Hospital Adds Space And Services At Its Urgent Care Facility In Queensbury

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

This is the waiting room at the Adirondack Urgent Care center, which is now known as Saratoga Hospital Urgent Care – Adirondack.
Courtesy Saratoga Hospital

Saratoga Hospital has added space and services at the former Adirondack Urgent Care center, which is now known as Saratoga Hospital Urgent Care – Adirondack, located on Route 9, just north of Walmart, in the Mount Royal Plaza.
Officials said patients have easy access to urgent care—no appointment necessary—from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Walk-in X-ray and laboratory services are also available seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for X-rays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lab draws.
A prescription is required for lab and X-ray services.

Underwood Park CrossFit, Small Business Of The Year, Has Group And Personal Training

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Lauren Grogan left Michael Plank far right with son Harvey and daughter Diana at their Ft Edward training center, Underwood Park Crossfit.

By Jill Nagy
Underwood Park CrossFit of Fort Edward was named a 2019 Small Business of the Year in Washington County by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Washington County Local Development Corporation. They were also nominated as Ethical Business of the Year by the Adirondack Samaritan Counselling Center and will know next April whether they receive that honor as well.
Also in 2019, the gym was selected as the second best health and wellness business by the Glens Falls Post-Star and co-owner and head coach Michael Plank was named to the list of 20 under 40 by the same newspaper. His wife and co-owner, Lauren Grogan, made that list in 2018.
Plank declared himself “honored and humbled” by the awards.

Go-For Fitness In South Glens Falls Expands Its Classes, ServicesAnd Staff Certifications

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Go-For Fitness in South Glens Falls has eight instructors and teaches approximately 50 group exercise classes a week. It recently expanded classes and services.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Kathy Scherer, owner of Go-For Fitness in South Glens Falls, is expanding classes and services for the new year.
The fitness center has eight instructors and teaches around 50 group exercise classes a week.
“One misconception out there is that we are a ladies gym. We are not just a ladies gym. We have many male members and would like to attract more. We’d really like to attract more male instructors too,” said Scherer. “It’s not just for women. Everyone is welcome.”
The staff recently went through Barre certification through Barre Above.
“It’s a fusion of ballet, pilates, body weight strength training and leg work, while using the barre for balance. It’s a different take on group exercise. We’re using body weight, with a focus on balance and strength. It has a wide appeal. Anyone can do it,” said Scherer.

ADK CrossFit In Glens Falls Opens A New Facility Above Its Downtown Location

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Israel Del Toro, the owner of the ADK CrossFit, has opened a second gym, ADK Fit, a 24-hour fitness facility located above ADK CrossFit at 80 Glen St., Glens Falls.

ADK CrossFit In Glens Falls Opens A New Facility Above Its Downtown Location
by Andrea Harwood Palmer
Israel Del Toro has opened his second gym in the heart of downtown Glens Falls.
ADK Fit is a 24-hour fitness facility located above Del Toro’s ADK CrossFit gym.
The expansive space is 6,000 square feet, located at 80 Glen St., between NBT Bank and J.E. Sawyer & Co.
ADK CrossFit has been open just under eight years, and moved to its downtown Glens Falls location about a year ago.
“The best part about CrossFit is it’s a nice big community,” said Del Toro. “Everybody knows everybody. Everybody’s very friendly with each other. There’s no drama or issues. Nobody judges anyone, nobody cares what anyone can or can’t do.”

WestWind Ag Farm In Moreau Makes Plans To Build, Operate Craft Brewery, Taproom

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

This old farm building on the WestWind Ag property could become a craft brewery.

By Christine Graf
The owners of the WestWind Ag are seeking approval to open Z-Farm Brewery, a craft brewery and taproom, on their 308-acre farm on Old West Road in Moreau.
The brewery would be located in an existing building on the property that would undergo extensive renovation.
According to WestWind Ag’s Rachel McDermott, “The plan is to take some areas of the farm that we can’t put into crops and make some income on that area of the farm so that we can preserve it.”
In 2016, McDermott left her career as an investment banker in New York City to join the family business. She graduated from Cornell University in 2008 with a degree in applied economics and management.
“I was raised on the farm,” she said. “I always had a desire to be closer to my roots.”
McDermott’s father, James Czub, and uncle, Robert Czub, established WestWind Ag in 1983. The business has grown steadily over the years, and the brothers now farm more than 1,500 acres of land and have six employees. The majority of their 1,500-plus acres of farmland is leased. The Moreau property, a former dairy farm, was purchased in 2016.

Etchings, Photography, Painting Make Up The Hyde Collection’s Exhibits In 2020

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

This photo is part of the J.S. Wooley photography exhibit that will start in June at The Hyde Museum. It is a shot taken from the former Fort William Henry Hotel.
Courtesy The Hyde

The Hyde Collection has announced its exhibition lineup for 2020 that includes a diverse schedule celebrating tradition and innovation in equal measure.
The schedule includes the world’s first modern artist and a trend-setting African American printmaker, as well as paintings that capture a historic period in a nation’s evolution.
“Francisco Goya: The Caprichos Etchings and Aquatints” runs through Sunday, April 26.
Goya (1746–1828) used the privilege provided him as portraitist of the monarchy and aristocracy to create a series of etchings critiquing Spanish life at the end of the eighteenth century. Using allegory, he introduced a world of witches, monsters, and fantastical creatures that symbolize what he believed to be a society of disillusion and deceit.