Category Archives: Business News

By Maureen Werther

Real estate developer Rich Schermerhorn Jr. is nearing completion of his latest residential community located at 147 Harrison Ave. Extension in South Glens Falls.

Harrison Quarry will offer three-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhomes with attached one-car garages, patios, natural gas, air conditioning and all maintenance included in the $1,400-$1,500 price range, he said.

In total, 116 townhomes will be built.

Schermerhorn said construction will be completed by June 1 and the units are already 65 percent rented.

The units are approximately 1,750 square feet and offer a range of amenities, including spacious kitchens with ample cabinet space, self-cleaning ovens and frost-free refrigerators, custom blinds throughout and carpeting. There is also 24-hour maintenance staff and snow removal.

By Maureen Werther

When Darren Tracy, PE, first saw the 800-square-foot structure at 5 Culvert St. in Glens Falls in October 2017, he initially thought the 19th century Victorian was damaged beyond repair. The city was in the process of accepting demolition bids, which ranged from $18,000 to $70,000.

Tracy had learned about the city’s plans to demolish the building from Adirondack Architectural Heritage. Between Oct. 6-10, he visited the structure no less than six times. He contacted then-Mayor Jack Diamond with a proposal.

Tracy is the owner of West Branch Engineering and Consulting PLLC in Saratoga Springs and has been involved in other major renovations of older buildings. He did some research about the building, learning that it had been the office of a local physician, Dr. Ferguson, in the late 1870s and it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The building was in imminent danger of collapse,” said Tracy. He knew he had to act swiftly in order to save it.

After making a presentation to the City Council, his plan was accepted, and he purchased the building for $1. The transfer of the deed took place Oct. 27 and that very day, work began to stabilize the badly damaged roof before the arrival of wintry weather, he said.

By Rachel Phillips

Over a century after it was first built, the Park Theater in Glens Falls will soon re-open its doors to a new generation of audiences.

Elizabeth Miller, CEO of Miller Mechanical Services Inc. in Glens Falls, purchased the building in 2014 with the hope of restoring the space as a multi-functional community venue and theater.

She said the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls “is a wonderful venue for a number of types of entertainment. I certainly don’t want to compete with it. The Park Theater is set up as a different venue. It has the opportunity to host a variety of functions and has a different feel to it.”

When the theater opened in 1911, it served as a Vaudeville, silent movie theater, with rigged seats. Those seats were removed in order to make the space more versatile.

Keeping with the building’s original purpose, Park Theater will still show movies, but will also be able to host stage productions, musical performances, improv workshops, comedy shows, seminars, dance recitals, weddings and more.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

It didn’t take long for the space at the former 190 Grille and Cinema in downtown Glens Falls to receive some attention.

Fowler Building Associates, owners of the property at 190 Glen St., said they expect the space to be filled by a new tenant as early as April.

Fowler Building Associates is a separate LLC formed by owners of JMZ Architects and Planners PC. Tenée R. Casaccio, JMZ president, said they have not signed anything yet with the prospective tenant, but are confident that they will move in and be operating their business this spring.

The identity of the new tenant is being kept confidential at this time.

By Jill Nagy

Hank’s Quality Flooring is moving to larger quarters in downtown Glens Falls.

The new location, at 28-30 Elm Street, is about twice the size of the company’s current location at 730 Upper Glen St. in Queensbury, about two miles away. It will enable the company to have its retail facility and warehouse in the same building.

“It was the only building in downtown Glens Falls that would have worked for us,”  said Hank Marler, the company’s owner.

It has plenty of parking and generous window space. As a bonus, it is in a familiar neighborhood. Marler’s grandparents lived right behind the new location and operated a now-defunct diner.

The number of craft beverage manufacturers has grown by 50 percent since the enactment of the Craft New York Act three years ago, according to state officials.

The Craft Act went into effect on Dec. 13, 2014, continuing the state’s support of the growing craft beverage industry. Since then, 340 new craft beverage businesses have opened their doors across the state, officials said.

“This administration has worked hard to cut red tape, lower costs and roll back burdensome regulations for New York’s craft beverage industry – efforts that are clearly paying off in every corner of this great state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “I’m proud of the continued growth of this sector, which has created jobs, spurred tourism, supported New York farms and led to the creation of top-notch world-renowned products.”

New York state has implemented a series of legislative and policy changes to capitalize on the soaring consumer demand for locally produced craft beverages and to make it easier to open and run a craft manufacturing business, officials said. These improvements include lowering taxes and fees, providing support for research, creating new licenses for farm breweries and cideries, rolling back restrictive regulations, cutting the time it takes to obtain a license in half and overhauling the state’s antiquated Alcoholic Beverage Control law.

By Maureen Werther

The former Native Textiles building in Glens Falls, which has stood vacant for the past 10 years, is under new ownership and has welcomed medical device maker AngioDynamics as the first tenant of the 116,000-square-foot facility.

Native Textiles was a significant employer in the Glens Falls region, supplying fabrics to active-wear and intimate apparel manufacturers. It employed approximately 85 people at the Native Drive location, and more employees at the nearby knitting mill on Warren Street, which also shut down.

The acquisition of the old textile mill was the result of a sustained effort on the part of EDC Warren County and commercial real estate broker Steven Borgos of Howard Hanna Realty to find a buyer for the property and position it to again contribute to the economic growth of the region.

The building is situated on a 33-acre parcel of land located off Carey Road, about a mile west of Northway Exit 18.

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 29th annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award.

The award is given to recognize and honor an extraordinary individual who has selflessly gone above and beyond by contributing time and energy to help others.

To nominate a deserving volunteer, fill out the nomination form and return it to the ARCC by Jan. 19. The form can be found on the ARCC website, www.adirondackchamber.org, or send an email to info@adirondackchamber.org and a form will be mailed.

The 2018 award will be presented at the ARCC annual dinner on March 3.

The 2017 Holiday Match charity program conducted annually by Stewart’s Shops raised $1.89 million for local children’s organizations.

Company officials said the fund drive set a record for the fourth consecutive season.

From Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day, Stewart’s customers donated $945,000 to the program, which is an increase of approximately $19,000 over last season. Each individual donation is matched penny-for-penny by Stewart’s Shops.

There are no administrative costs and 100 percent of the funds benefit local, nonprofit children’s organizations.

“This program is proof that your small change can really add up and make a big impact on local kids,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake. “Teaming up with our customers to support our communities is just another reason why we say we are closer to you.”