Category Archives: Business News

By Andrea Harwood Palmer

The Adirondack Trust Company opened a new branch at 79 Main St. in Queensbury, near Northway Exit 18.

The branch opened for business on April 5 and has two drive-thru lanes, parking, a free WiFi hot spot, Saturday hours, a private conference room, and 24-hour ATM access with image capture capabilities.

Munter Enterprises of Middle Grove was the general contractor and Balzer & Tuck Architecture of Saratoga Springs designed the building.

Charles Wait Jr., CEO, said the bank has been seeking a convenient location with more building space for quite some time. The nearby Maple Street branch in Glens Falls did not have a drive-thru. The Maple Street branch is closed. The Bay Road branch will remain open.

“Our desire was to build a bigger and better location that was more convenient for our customers,” said Wait. “We’ll be able to service all of our customers from all of our major business lines, from one convenient location.”

The new branch houses nine full time retail banking employees, and four additional professionals from commercial banking, lending, insurance and wealth management. The branch will be managed by assistant treasurer and branch manager Lynette Matt. Amy Liles is the assistant branch manager, and Chiao-Link Blazejowsk is the head teller.

“We have a great team here,” said Wait. “Everyone working for and with the branch did such a nice job getting everything ready.”

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce 2021 Four-Seasons Travel Guide is out, featuring “pro tips” for visiting the region.

It also has photography submitted from locals and visitors alike in an effort to spotlight the people that mark the region as a destination.

Chamber officials said the submitted photography and pro tips will also be used in a social media campaign and considered for the 2022 Travel Guide. Photos and pro tips are continually being accepted via this link.

The guide, which is available in both print and digital format, includes a lodging grid to help people sort through the region’s many accommodations. It also has Chamber member listings of attractions, dining, shopping, and other businesses.

This year’s guide also includes interactive features such as a coloring page and word puzzles to provide some extra activities for people of all ages.

The Chamber prints 70,000 copies of the guide annually and distributes them strategically around the Northeast, at AAA offices and through direct mail, by request. 

“With COVID-19 restrictions and new intel from where our visitors were coming from, we were able to readjust our distribution plan in 2020 to place the guides where they’d be most likely to be picked up. In 2021, we made similar changes to our distribution plan to match current intel,” said Executive Director Gina Mintzer.

The Park Theater will host Rochmon Record Club for a series of listening parties from April through June.

Hosted by Chuck Vosganian, a Rochmon Record Club Listening Party is a multi-media event designed to educate and inspire listeners. Audiences will learn about the history of the performers, and dive deep into the songs and stories that informed these iconic albums.

By listening together, we hear the music again for the first time,” said Vosganian.

The first listening party on April 29 will focus on the Eagles’ fifth studio album, “Hotel California” (1976). The second on May 26 will focus on Carole King’s second studio album, “Tapestry” (1971). The third on June 30 will focus on Queen’s fourth studio album, “Night at the Opera” (1975).

Audiences will have the opportunity to listen to these albums on the The Park Theater’s state-of-the-art sound system. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m.

There will be a bar and food available for purchase.

Tickets are $12 per person. There will be limited seating and tickets must be purchased in advance.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.parktheatergf.com or phone The Park Theater Box Office at 518-792-1150.

Learn more about Rochmon Record Club by visiting www.rochmon.com.

By Jill Nagy

The owners of Freedom Boat Club on Lake George have started a $1.24 million overhaul of the marina.

Matt O’Hara, one of the owners, said renovations will include a rooftop deck, an elevator, a new building facade and a members’ lounge.

His plans for the marina itself focus on growing the service department. He is also upgrading the wastewater system.

Phinney Design Group of Saratoga Springs did the design work for the project and BBL Construction Services of Albany is supervising the work. O’Hara expects the project to be completed by next fall.

It is part of a myriad of activities on Lake George regarding marinas.

The estate of John Salvador Jr. has sold Dunham’s Bay Boat & Beach Club on the southeast part of the lake for approximately $1.1 million, according to deeds that were filed in March in Warren County.

Two Florida holding companies managed by wealth management adviser Michael Chrys purchased the 9.2-acre marina on Lake George. The purchases were made under the names Mirada 7 LLC and Garner Holdings II LLC, according to the deeds.

by Andrea Harwood Palmer

J. Reid Menswear has moved from its Aviation Mall location to Downtown Glens Falls at 166 Glen Street.

The menswear store, formally known as Jonathan Reid, has rebranded with a new name along with its new location. The store will continue to provide menswear and tuxedo rentals, suits, jackets, shirts, ties, shoes and tailoring services. The store has ancillary items and accessories as well.

“I wanted to return J. Reid Menswear to its original location in Hometown USA,” said owner Jeffrey Ives. “With all the negatives that COVID-19  has brought, I have needed the support of everyone associated with the business community of downtown Glens Falls.”

J. Reid Menswear originally had an office on Glen Street, when former owner Jonathon Segan ran the company, until the mid 2000s. The store has been in operation for 53 years.

It will continue to provide menswear and tuxedo rentals, as it did at its Aviation Road location.

“Getting back to normal is right around the corner with the return to weddings, proms and in-person work. We will be there for all of it with the level of service the community has come to expect from J. Reid,” said Ives.

Most high schools are holding in-person proms this year, with the prom season dominating May and June.

Valiant Search, a search firm that focuses on recruiting for law firms, is now open.

Sean Macari, an experienced recruiter, said he saw an opportunity when many search firms dramatically scaled down or closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He saw the need to help  attorneys, support staff, and law firms get back on their feet as the pandemic starts to subside.

There was also an absence of legal-focused recruiting firms in upstate New York, he said. That inspired him to launch his own company, based in Albany.

“Valiant Search is currently serving law firms in all counties in New York state, however, being based in the Capital Region, we have a particular familiarity and focus on firms in Saratoga and Warren counties,” he said.

“In the wake of COVID, many search firms went through dramatic changes as they shut down or shifted their focus exclusively to bigger firms in the Manhattan area. With this, I saw an opportunity to help those firms in Upstate New York (including those in the Saratoga/Washington/Warren counties area) get back on their feet. As an experienced recruiter myself, I was inspired to start my own company during the pandemic to make sure that these Upstate businesses could have someone to help support them as they look to reopen amidst COVID.”

He said Valiant is  the only search firm that specializes in the legal industry north of New York City, “so we have a much greater presence in these upstate counties—like Saratoga and Warren—than others that focus primarily on New York City. “

“Being from the area and having been through COVID myself, I know the struggle upstate firms have to go through when trying to find employees through these New York City-focused recruiting agencies. A search group focusing north of New York City allows for people looking for a change or to get back to work the option to find something closer and quicker than going through New York City-based groups.”

By Jill Nagy

KPM Restoration, a company that cleans up and repairs premises after fires, floods and other disasters, moved in January to a new facility in Malta.

It consists of a large warehouse and 12 offices. It replaces a facility at 211 Maple St. in Saratoga Springs.

The company is still in the process of moving out of the Saratoga Springs location, according to business owner Jamie Kennedy. Only six years old, KPM outgrew its former quarters, he said.

The company is on-call 24 hours a day and, all 13 of its trucks are kept busy, said Kennedy. The company repairs damages from water pipe bursts, fixes other water damage, does mold  remediation and commercial cleaning .

A large part of the business these days involves COVID-19 cases. Kennedy said the company has done more than 200 COVID cleanups, which include cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. As a community service, they have done several free clean-ups for schools and firehouses.

Kennedy came to the area from Milbrook, a downstate town near Poughkeepsie, where he had three businesses, a property management company (Kennedy Property Management), a landscaping service and a tree service. He sold them all and moved north.

“I want to spend more time with my family and children,” he said. He and wife, Rachel, have three children.

The Hacker Boat Co. is in the process of relocating its operations to 315 Corinth Road, Queensbury, just west of Northway Exit 18.

Officials said the corporate offices are already  in the new location. The production and restoration operations will move later in the  spring.

The company plans to eventually add a showroom and ships store on the site.

Roughly $3 million is being invested in the move to the 6.4-acre Queensbury site.

Mark Levack of Levack Real Estate in Glens Falls brokered the deal on behalf of Badcock. Perkins was represented by Bob Sears of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Blake, Realtors.

Morgan Marine, the company’s Lake George waterfront facility, comprised of a boat yard, storage facility and show room, will remain at 8 Delaware Ave., Silver Bay.

George Badcock, president/CEO, said the  move “will benefit our employees and existing and prospective customers. The majority of our employees will have a much shorter commute, and we believe the new location will better enable us to attract new employees. The more convenient location will make it easier for prospective customers to view and discuss purchasing a Hacker-Craft.”

The new facility is 40 percent larger. It will allow the company to increase production of new boats for anticipated new markets in Europe and the Middle East, as well as expanding restoration operations.

The company also announced Tome’s Landing Marina in Port Deposit, Md., is now an official dealer for the Hacker-Craft brand.

Tome’s now has two brand new 2021 Hacker-Craft in stock.

After a full year closed to the public, The Great Escape & Hurricane Harbor is set to reopen this spring for the 2021 season.

The Lake George theme park, which was not given government approval to open in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to return this year promising a safe environment, officials said.

The Great Escape will be open weekends and select dates starting May 1, with daily operation beginning June 24. In February, the state announced outdoor amusement parks can open—with a third of their normal capacity—by April 9.

Additionally, the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark will be back to full operation beginning March 26.

“We are ready to welcome our guests back to The Great Escape,” Six Flags Great Escape Resort park president Rebecca Wood said in a press release. “The health and safety of our guests, team members, and community remains our top priority and we are implementing extensive sanitization and safety measures to deliver a safe and entertaining experience for our guests.”

Opening weekend will mark the debut of a new  ride called Adirondack Outlaw, which was originally scheduled to open last year.

Once open, The Great Escape will be operating under state and local guidelines for crowd capacity limits.

The park has established attendance caps that will be well below the park’s theoretical capacity in order to allow for proper social distancing.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer

Bennington Furniture & Mattress, which has a Queensbury location, has acquired Old Brick Furniture + Mattress Co., expanding its footprint in the Capital Region.

Michael Fiacco, owner and president of Bennington Furniture, purchased the property from former owner Henry Turk. Fiacco and Turk had known each other for many years, and had talked casually of a buyout when Turk was ready to retire, he said. Turk reached out to Fiacco in January of 2019.

“I’m from the Capital Region. My businesses are in Vermont, Western Mass and Queensbury. I always wanted to get down to the Capital Region as well,” sad Fiacco.

“We’re super excited for this opportunity,” said Fiacco. “Old Brick Furniture has a great name in the Capital Region. Bennington Furniture has a great name in Vermont. We are like-minded businesses. Bringing them together is exciting.”

Bennington Furniture was started by Fiacco’s mother. The flagship store is located in Bennington. The Old Brick Furniture Co. began in 1960s as a furniture wholesaler under the name C. and D. Distributors.

Bennington Furniture is transitioning its branding to Old Brick Furniture + Mattress Co., a process that is complete for all stores except  Manchester and Vermont. The branding transition for those stores will be complete by the end of March, Fiacco said.