Category Archives: Business News

By Rod Bacon

For years, Emmett Smith, co-founder and CEO of Saranac Lake-based Northern Power & Light, and Dr. Jeffrey Flagg, economic development director for the City of Glens Falls, discussed hydro-based projects but couldn’t find one that was actionable. 

That changed when the Glens Falls Community Hydro Project went live on May 21. The project is delivering clean, renewable energy to National Grid customers in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties and beyond. 

Northern Power & Light has partnered with Boralex Hydro Operations, Inc., a developer of environmentally friendly projects that owns and operates the Warrensburg Dam. They operate 199 wind, solar, and hydro facilities in the United States and abroad.  

Customers enrolling in the program are guaranteed a 5 percent saving on their energy bills. Qualifying low-income customers may see savings of up to 25 percent.

Cost savings are due in part to the recent implementation of the H-Value, a pricing structure that enables small-scale hydro producers to participate in New York state’s Community Distributed Generation program. This policy reform allows the energy producers to provide cost savings for customers, similar to incentives available for solar producers.

By Paul Post

BOCES officials are eagerly awaiting groundbreaking for a $96 million campus that will increase capacity for current programs such as construction trades while making new offerings such as green energy and a standalone electrical course possible.

Plans call for three buildings totaling 290,000 square feet on 25 acres at the corner of Ballard and North roads, just off Exit 16 in Wilton. Two buildings would be for special education (grades K-6 and 7-12) and a third for career and technical classes.

 The complex would replace the current Southern Adirondack and F. Donald Myers learning centers in Hudson Falls and Saratoga Springs, respectively.

A BOCES program for special education elementary students at the Sanford Street School in Glens Falls would also move to Wilton.

“Currently we tend to have a wait list for our programs,” BOCES District Superintendent Turina M. Parker said. “So we’ll be able to take more students into current programs. And some programs we’re only able to offer at one center now. All programs will be offered at the new center, so it expands our capacity to serve all 31 school districts in the five counties we serve. It expands our reach for students across the region.”

Capital Region entrepreneur Daniel T. Pickett III has been elected chairman of the Albany Med Health System board of directors, beginning a two-year term July 1.

Pickett is founder and CEO of AptiHealth, a behavioral-healthcare company that connects high-need patients with comprehensive care, and CEO of Hudson River Capital Holdings, a private investment firm. He previously served as president of Zones and CEO of nfrastructure, two global technology companies, and joined the Albany Med board in 2012 when it oversaw only Albany Medical Center and Albany Medical College. Today, the board includes 30 members guiding a system that spans multiple hospitals, outpatient sites, the Albany Med Research Institute and partnerships with affiliated organizations across northeastern New York.

“A strong health-care network allows communities to thrive,” Pickett said. “Having 16,000 colleagues who live and work here means we understand local needs. It is an honor to lead a System that remains independent and able to define the future of care. As we move forward, we must develop new approaches to meet patients where they are.”

Pickett plans to focus on workforce development, expand access to specialized services such as cardiac and oncology care, and deepen integration among the System’s hospitals. The Albany Med Health System, the region’s largest private employer, offers more than 60 specialty services across 125 locations in New York’s Capital Region and the Hudson Valley, with an annual economic impact exceeding $2 billion.

Recent expansions include bringing pediatric specialties to communities that previously lacked them, launching mobile health units to serve rural areas, and investing in graduate medical education partnerships to train the next generation of providers. The System also continues to invest in telehealth and remote monitoring to reach patients in their homes and reduce barriers to care. Through charity-care programs and community clinics, Albany Med provides free or discounted services to underserved populations.

By Rod Bacon

A facility that has been a mainstay in the region’s storage business since 1946 has been rebranded and undergone significant upgrades.

In 2022, Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based Mountain Capital Partners LLC purchased the storage operation of Mullen Moving and Storage from owner Martin Mullen. The company was founded by Patrick Ryan Mullen, who held a stevedore license, in the late 1800s. He moved the company to North Adams, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s and it later expanded to Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, and Schenectady.

Mountain Capital Partners, which owns other storage facilities in Pittsfield and Adams, Massachusetts, and Schenectady, New York, is operated by Anthony Massimiano and several others. They recently rebranded the local facility as Greylock Storage and started the process of making it the premier site for safe records storage in Glens Falls.

“We had been looking at the acquisition for quite some time, and felt the storage and warehousing part of the business was a good investment,” said Massimiano. “We viewed it as an accretive addition to our portfolio.”

Significant improvements have been made at the site. The original 10,000-square-foot structure has been repainted and has a new roof. A secured building with 24-hour video surveillance, it houses Greylock’s records business and two floors of temperature controlled storage units.

On an adjacent parcel they’ve constructed four buildings totaling 9,300 square feet containing 72 new drive-up units that range in size from five feet by 10 feet to 10 feet by 20 feet. These units are not temperature controlled.

The company has a division called The Archive, which inventories paper, data tape, and microfiche records and provides courier services in the event information needs to be accessed by the client. There are also destruction services for records that are no longer required.

Freedom Boat Club Lake George has announced the opening of a second Lake George location in Bolton Landing.

Heading into their ninth summer providing hassle-free boating on Lake George, Freedom Boat Club saw a need to expand their services to meet the growing demand for membership boating. The new location will be located at Water’s Edge Marina, 47 Sagamore Rd, Bolton Landing, which underwent a change in ownership in January of this year. There will initially be five new boats available at the Bolton Landing location in addition to the twenty boats located at their flagship location at Queen Boat Co in Dunhams Bay.

Freedom Boat Club members pay a one-time entry fee and monthly dues to utilize the fleet of boats while the club takes care of purchasing, docking, cleaning, insuring and maintaining the boats.

Owners Matt and Rebecca O’Hara are excited to be offering a new boating experience for members. “We have had a waitlist for membership for years and are thrilled to have the opportunity to add membership capacity in a great new location. Water’s Edge is the perfect launching point for members to explore parts of the lake that were less accessible boating out of our Dunhams Bay location,” said owner Matt O’Hara. “And members will definitely enjoy all that the town of Bolton Landing has to offer before or after their boat outings!”

By Paul Post

Walmart on Quaker Ridge Boulevard opened in 2011 to take pressure off the larger Supercenter on Route 9 in Queensbury.

But sales have been so strong that a 5,000-square-foot expansion and redevelopment became necessary, which store leaders, employees and customers alike celebrated with a recent grand reopening.

“This store is truly the footprint of what Walmart is trying to build,” Market Manager Robert Hazard said. “This store has grown faster than Walmart ever expected. It’s more than doubled in volume. Now we’re ready for the next 10 years of business.”

A new pharmacy, a relocated 3,000-square-foot online pickup and delivery area, larger grocery and new lines of apparel such as Reebok and Jessica Simpson are among the many highlights.

A huge arch of blue, gold and white balloons greeted customers to the rededication ceremony.

Everyone on hand was treated to a large assortment of blue and gold-frosted cupcakes, joined by life-size Pillsbury Doughboy and M&M’s costumed characters.

By Paul Post

 Trustco Bank has a new location in downtown Glens Falls at 37 Bay Street. The branch moved there from its previous home at the top of Glen Street hill, near Park Street, and occupies a former Citizens Bank building that closed several years ago.

“We had been looking at this building for a couple of years,” Trustco branch Manager Kathryn Nasr said. “The previous location didn’t have a drive-through and trying to do business, with lack of parking, was a nightmare especially when Cool Insuring Arena had a big event going on.”

In addition to a drive-through and more parking, the Bay Street building is generally more accessible with a spacious interior, colorfully designed with an Adirondack theme.

One wall has a timeline with historic photos featuring milestones from the bank’s and City of Glens Falls’ past. Trustco was previously Schenectady Trust.

By Rod Bacon

Aficionados of the classic chrome-sided diners that offer comfort foods at almost all hours of the day and night know that Silk City Diners are the gold standard of such establishments.

Founded by Everett Abbott Cooper in Patterson, New Jersey, the company produced approximately 1,500 diners between 1926 and 1966. Each was tagged with the year and order in which it was built; for example, 5607 would be the seventh diner manufactured in 1956.

In 1950, Phillip Patenaude purchased one and had it shipped to Lake George, where it stood at the intersection of Routes 9 and 9L until a highway configuration in the 1960s forced it to move to its present location. Originally named the Point Diner, Patenaude rechristened it the Prospect Mountain Diner after the move.

In 1968, Patenaude sold the diner to Arthur Leonhard, who built an adjoining dining room called the Rickshaw that served authentic Chinese food until 1991. The Rickshaw was then renamed the Lighthouse Cafe and Lounge. During his career he also owned Lucille’s restaurant in the village as well as Topside on the second floor of the same building.

Pat Humphrey, the current owner, worked with Leonhard, her significant other, at all the restaurants he owned. When he passed away in 2013 she inherited the Prospect Mountain Diner.

In 2007, a fire started in the air conditioning units in the addition and the smoke damage resulted in the entire structure being torn down. By this time, of course, Silk City Diners was no longer manufacturing the classic structures but Humphrey wanted to continue the legacy built up over the previous decades. She traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, and contracted with Dinermite Diners to construct a replacement for the one that burned.

By Rod Bacon

Since the 1930s, eateries designed to resemble railroad dining cars that feature shiny chrome interiors have been beacons for people seeking comfort food in small towns and big cities across the country.

Two area establishments built in the style of these classic diners are owned by Bob Pilarinos; the Ambrosia Diner in Queensbury and the Capital City Diner in Albany.  Both were fabricated by the DeRaffele Manufacturing Company of New Rochelle, N.Y., which has been designing and erecting diners since 1933.

The family-owned business was launched when Bob’s father, Dennis Pilarinos, opened the Columbia Diner in 1984. He sold that establishment and later opened the Capital City Diner, the Ambrosia Diner in Catskill, the Plaza Diner in Hudson, and finally the Ambrosia Diner in Queensbury. He passed away in February 2024 but the family continues to operate two of his establishments. Bob explained that while the family still owns the other two they are operated by others.

He attributes the success of the enterprise to the fact that diners are convenient and  offer a wider menu selection than traditional restaurants.

“You can get anything you want at any time of day” he said. “Parents might want a full dinner while the kids want pancakes, and we can accommodate that. There is also the ‘nostalgia factor’ among older patrons. They love the look and feel of the traditional diners.” 

Operating the pair of diners is a true family affair. In addition to Bob, his wife Alaina helps out at the Queensbury site and his sister and her husband, Tina and Saki Tyrnas, run the day-to-day operation of the Capital City Diner.