Category Archives: Business News

The Adirondack Thunder hockey team has released its regular season schedule for the 2017-18 ECHL season, their third as a member of the ECHL.

The home schedule, which consists of 36 home games, will begin on Saturday, Oct.  14, as the Thunder take on the Brampton Beast at the Glens Falls Civic Center at 7 p.m., the first time that the Thunder have opened the regular season at home.

The 2017-18 home schedule will conclude on Friday, April 6, as the Thunder take on the Manchester Monarchs in a rematch of both the 2015 and 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Thunder’s home schedule is highlighted by 13 Saturday home games and 12 Friday home dates for a total of 25 games on those evenings. The schedule also contains three Sunday home games making it the most weekend heavy schedule in three seasons in the ECHL, team officials said.

The 2017-18 schedule will be rounded out with two Tuesdays and six Wednesdays.

All Friday and Saturday home games will begin at 7:00 p.m., with the exception of Saturday, March 17, which will begin at 3 p.m. for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Sunday games will begin at 3 p.m., with the exception of the annual New Year’s Eve game, which will start at 5 p.m.

New York state will put some $4.5 million into four road projects this summer and fall in Warren and Washington counties.

Officials said it is part of $27.8 million set aside for projects to pave and repair 134.2 lane miles of state roads across the Capital Region.

The infrastructure investment includes projects in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties. The projects will be completed this year, officials said.

The local projects include:

• 3.5 miles on Route 22, between Broadway (county routes 30 and 153) and Mahaffy Lane, in the town of Salem, Washington County ($980,000).

• 9 miles on Route 313 from the state line with Vermont to Anaquassacook, east of Eldridge Swamp State Forest, in the towns of Jackson and Salem, Washington County ($1 million).

• 2 miles on Route 8 between Route 28 in Wevertown and the Hudson River at Riparius in the town of Johnsburg, Warren County ($1.25 million).

• 6.6 miles on Route 418 from River Road to Ridge Avenue at the Route 418 bridge over the Schroon River in the towns of Thurman and Warrensburg, Warren County ($1.3 million).

Some 20 artists in Washington County will be displaying their works and promoting artists in the area when Open Studios of Washington County makes its biennial return to the region July 13-16.

The event has brought thousands of visitors to local studios while generating significant revenue for participating artists. It has also raised the visibility of the artists in the communities in which they live.

“Open Studios is a great opportunity for people to discover the extraordinary talent of our regional artists,” said Sue Sanderson, organizer of Open Studios of Washington County. “This year we have a record 20 artists. Many are nationally and internationally acclaimed. Those who aren’t are making their mark. And all support each other.”

She said the diversity of the artists is important to the success of the tour. Established tour artists attract an engaged audience and bring credibility to the event. First-time tour artists offer collectors the opportunity to discover new talent.

Greenwich artist Karen Koziol experienced the enthusiasm for new artists during the 2015 tour. “Doing the tour was absolutely exhilarating,” said Koziol. “People were really engaged and interested in what I was doing, why I was doing it and how I was doing it. I made some great connections.”

A fundraiser to help with a local group’s purchase of the Adirondack Thunder hockey team in Glens Falls on June 2 raised $25,800, officials said.

The money raised pushed the total funds raised for the Keep Hockey Here campaign through donations, events and pledges past the halfway mark of its overall goal.

The fundraiser, called Raise the Rink, had 320 attendees inside Heritage Hall at the Glens Falls Civic Center. It consisted of a series of live, silent and raffle auctions.

Officials said the highest selling item was four front row tickets to a Boston Red Sox game, combined with dinner for four inside Fenway Park and overnight accommodations just outside of Boston. The winning bid, coming from Dr. John O’Connor, came in at $2,600, more than twice the value of the package.

“The Raise The Rink event was one of the most successful Keep Hockey Here efforts we’ve seen yet,” Adirondack Civic Center Coalition President Dan Burke said. “We are consistently blown away by the support we receive from our local community and are extremely excited to surpass the halfway mark of our donation goal,” said Burke. “I’d like to personally thank everyone who came out and we look forward to continuing our fundraising efforts this summer because this is truly our team.”

New York state in May announced the winning projects selected for the City of Glens Falls in the Capital Region as part of the state’s $100 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The DRI aims to transform local neighborhoods across the state into vibrant communities where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise a family. Working together with state agencies and the Regional Economic Development Council, the City of Glens Falls has built a strategic investment plan that identifies catalytic downtown projects consistent with the initiative’s goals.

Glens Falls has received $10 million  under the state initiative.

“The Downtown Revitalization Initiative recognizes that vital central business districts can anchor the growth of an entire region, especially those with a strong central market as their focal point,” said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who made the DRI announcement at the Glens Falls Civic Center in an event hosted by EDC Warren County.

Keena Staffing was named Professional Business of the Year by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and Adirondack Business Council at the 27th annual ARCC Business of the Year Awards ceremony on June 7 at the Hiland Park Country Club in Queensbury.

The awards recognize achievement in business, commitment to community and contributions to the region’s quality of life.

Nominees in the Professional Business of the Year category included Adirondack Technical Solutions, ConfiData and the Kinney Agency. Denise Barnes, Sherry Barnaby, Michael Gerarde, Connie Gerarde-Niles, Doreen Kelly and Michael Niles were on hand to accept the award.

The Small Business of the Year award went to Talk of the Town/The Bullpen. Nominees on that category included StreamLined Graphics, the Spa Studio and Tom McDermott Motorcycle Sales. Paul Bricoccoli and Jason Krogmann represented the winning business.

Rookie Business of the Year was MinkyMink and proprietor Maura Bannon accepted the award. Nominees included Jonathan Reid, Just-A-Buck and Square Nail Rustics.

By Maureen Werther

Mark L. Adams, Ph.D. and CEO of Global Energy Research Associates (GERA) has submitted a proposal to Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) outlining an ambitious two-phase plan to convert the vacant Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility into an energy research park.

It would include several small power plants and surrounding infrastructure representing a $2 billion investment, he said.

In 2014, in response to the declining prison population, the state closed the medium-security prison, resulting in a loss of 320 full-time jobs with an estimated loss of $14 million in annual wages. The state is working through ESDC to find buyers for the site. They are offering an $8 million incentive package as part of its effort to attract bidders.

GERA’s plans include the creation of a two-phase energy and research development facility, using a nuclear-powered internal engine, which Adams said is the only prototype of its kind. The internal engine is powered using radioactive waste material and creates no exhaust. The engine serves a dual purpose of disposing of radioactive waste in a clean and efficient manner, while producing its own energy.

“There is no ancillary waste with this system,” said Adams, adding that GERA’s engine operates at efficiencies greater than 70 percent.

He said one plant using the internal nuclear engine will power 420,000 homes and consume only one gallon of radioactive waste every two weeks, which translates into enormous cost savings to business and private consumers.

New York state’s tourism industry set new records for total number of visitors, economic impact and direct spending in 2016, officials said.

Last year, a record 239 million visitors traveled to New York state, generating an economic impact of $104.8 billion, exceeding $100 billion for the third straight year, according to the governor’s office. In addition, visitors generated an all-time high $64.8 billion in direct spending. These figures each represent a nearly 3 percent increase over 2015.

“New York’s rich culture, diverse history, scenic beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities are second to none,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “With a record $104.8 billion economic impact, New York’s tourism industry is stronger than ever before and as we continue to invest in the success of world-class destinations and attractions found at every corner of the state, more and more visitors will come to experience everything New York has to offer.”

Tourism statistics were provided by Tourism Economics, an internationally recognized travel data firm, using the Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) input-output model for New York State, utilized worldwide by governments, universities, and public and private sector organizations. The model follows the flow of sales through the economy to the generation of GDP, employment, wages and taxes.

VisitLakeGeorge.com, the official online guide for the Lake George area, launched a new and improved website in May.

Managed by the Warren County Department of Tourism, the website features information on upcoming events, area attractions, restaurants and lodging properties.

“VisitLakeGeorge.com is used by visitors and locals looking for instant information about area attractions and lodging properties,” said Joanne Conley, director of the Tourism Department.

In 2016, the department restructured a number of contracts that enabled a cohesive workflow impacting branding, design and production across print, web and digital channels. Website redesign was an important component of this re-branding process, she said.

The Tourism Department partnered with AdWorkshop, a company based in Lake Placid, to redesign the site.

“We had three major goals and AdWorkshop worked closely with us to implement solutions for all of them,” said Conley.

Zumiez, a skate, surf and snowboard apparel, footwear and accessories retailer opened in May at the Outlets of Lake George, 1415 Route 9.

The Outlets is a recently expanded, 102,000-square-foot shopping center serving the Adirondack Mountains region.

The new 3,000-square-foot Zumiez store is located in the center’s west side, near LOFT.

“As Zumiez is known for its exciting and on-trend merchandise collection for young men and women alike, we are thrilled our newest brand will make its debut in the center just ahead of the summer seasonal and back-to-school shopping seasons,” said Sobert Realty Corp. President Corey Shanus.  “As we continue to expand our store collection to offer shoppers access to the brands they want most, we look forward to announcing the names of additional brands that will soon call the Outlets at Lake George home.”