Category Archives: Business News

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) announces its 2025 Land Campaign, a $9 million fundraising campaign to permanently protect more than 1,200 acres of land that protects Lake George.

The Campaign includes the protection of 517 acres of Pilot Knob Mountain and more than 700 acres in Bolton. Together, these forested lands have 2.8 miles of streams and more than 26 acres of wetlands that are critical to maintaining Lake George’s exceptional water quality.

The LGLC is under contract to purchase 517 acres of Pilot Knob Mountain, including its 2,159-foot summit, and 1.6 miles of streams. The land is close to the LGLC’s Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob, and sits just south of Buck Mountain, sharing more than 1.6 miles of its border with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Wild Forest. Because of its proximity to NYSDEC’s protected lands, this part of Pilot Knob is often mistakenly believed to be already protected; in fact, it is one of the largest privately-owned properties in the south basin and is zoned for development of up to 60 buildings.

LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “We are grateful to the landowners of Pilot Knob Mountain for being good stewards of this land for many decades, and for working with the LGLC to keep it protected, forever.”

By LEE COLEMAN

The Romeo Auto Group has moved into the Saratoga Springs market with the purchase of Saratoga Subaru and Saratoga Ford, both located just off Northway Exit 15.

“We are super excited to add Subaru to our dealerships,” said Mike Romeo, who will be dealer principal of the two dealerships purchased from the Mackey Auto Group on March 24.

The transaction comes just three months after Romeo Auto Group bought Whiteman Chevrolet on Dix Avenue in Glens Falls, now called Romeo Chevrolet.

The Romeo Auto Group has dealerships in Glens Falls, South Glens Falls and Queensbury as well as five dealerships in Kingston operated by Mike’s older brother Joe Romeo.

Mike Romeo said the group currently has a Ford dealership in Kingston but did not have a Subaru dealership. The auto group owns Romeo Toyota on Broad Street in Glens Falls, Carriage Traders on Saratoga Road in South Glens Falls, and the Romeo Auto Outlet on Quaker Road in Queensbury.

“We want to build it back up to what it used to be,” Mike Romeo said about the Saratoga Springs car market.

By Paul Post

Aviation Mall is gearing up for a second half-century of business with a go-kart racing attraction for local families, summer vacationers and serious competitors alike.

Scheduled to open Nov. 1, ADK Karting Experience is the newest in a series of sports, fitness and entertainment-type tenants, as the 50-year-old mall reinvents itself in the face of 21st-century consumer demands.

“When you have a very large facility to maintain with costly utilities, insurance and the like, you have to take on opportunities that might not be traditional,” said James Griffith, mall general manager. “We’ve always looked at different uses for getting people in the shopping center because that’s how we’re measured by our tenants. They want to know, ‘What is your foot traffic?’”

“We welcome anything, whenever we can justify that it brings more traffic,” he said.

ADK Karting will occupy the 80,000-square-foot former Sears space at the east end of the mall, near the Food Court.

Aviation Mall was a major, region-wide retail shopping destination when it opened in October 1975 with JC Penney, still there, and Denby’s as anchors. Caldor and Sears joined not long afterward, but later closed in addition to The Bon-Ton, which replaced Caldor.

Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet are anchors now along with JC Penney, but filling smaller spaces with retail tenants has been a challenge for malls across America, including this one.

“You can’t run away from it, online buying is how people make their purchases now,” Griffith said.

Registration has opened for Warren County’s first household hazardous waste collection event of 2025, scheduled on Saturday, May 3. 

Warren County residents who would like to get rid of hazardous materials such as cleaners, paint, pesticides and other household chemicals can do so at no charge on May 3 at Queensbury Highway Department, 742 Bay Road, Queensbury, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Residents who sign up will be able to safely dispose of materials such as antifreeze, pesticides, gasoline, paints, household cleaners and fluorescent light bulbs at no cost at this household hazardous waste collection, which is being overseen by Warren County Department of Public Works.

The Warren County event staff will not be able to accept munitions, automotive oil, batteries, asbestos, pharmaceuticals, infectious waste or tires.

Registration is required, and closes April 30. These events typically fill quickly.

More than 180 students from Career & Technical Education programs at WSWHE BOCES participated in a hands-on gas safety demonstration, hosted in collaboration with National Grid’s Gas Safety Team and UDig NY.

As part of a unique opportunity to kick off the unofficial start of “digging season,” students from 11th and 12th grades enrolled in construction trades, heavy equipment operation, environmental conservation, and HVAC-R programs took part in a real-world demonstration of the 811 safe digging process.

The multi-day event gave students a complete look at what goes into underground utility safety – from the initial ticket request to the final excavation. Over the course of the week, students learned to locate and mark underground gas lines, observe how excavators verify those markings on job sites, and properly expose lines to prevent accidents.

       From the Classroom to the Job Site:

Preparation began a week prior when students prepped the field, carefully digging a trench to specific dimensions. With tape measures and rakes in hand, students executed the kind of detailed work required in real job settings.

Adirondack Brewery has announced the release of its first non-alcoholic beer, Northern Altitude (N/A), a refreshing beverage that captures the essence of a juicy IPA. With a slight bitterness and a touch of lactose for added mouthfeel, Northern Altitude is designed to be highly drinkable.

Crafted with a blend of premium malts, including Pale, Crystal, Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, and Cara Pils, and complemented by a hop profile featuring Mosaic, Alora, and Citra, Northern Altitude delivers a flavorful experience that does not compromise on taste. This launch comes at a time when the non-alcoholic beer market is experiencing significant growth. In 2024, the Brewers Association reported that NA beer sales experienced a significant rise, with scan dollar sales increasing by over 30 percent year-over-year.

Adirondack Brewery Owner John Carr emphasizes the brewery’s commitment to innovation, stating, “Our brewers are always working to put out great products for all beverage drinkers. With Northern Altitude, we are excited to offer something fresh that aligns with current trends while maintaining the quality our customers expect.”

By Rod Bacon

For 50 years, a local company has captivated audiences around the world across live entertainment, theme parks, museums and more. 

Adirondack Studios (ADKS), founded in 1975 as Adirondack Scenic, has grown from a startup operating in a 6,000-square-foot building in Warrensburg to a company headquartered in a 126,000-square-foot production facility in Argyle, with additional locations across the U.S., Europe-Middle East, and Asia-Pacific

The founding principals were Thomas Lloyd, Christopher Detmer and Walter Blake, who met in college and became friends. Post-graduation, the two worked several seasons together at Lake George Opera, and it was those summer productions that inspired them to go into business together. They chose the North Country as the site for their new company, Adirondack Scenic, .

To make ends meet in those early years, the company created scenery for theater and opera productions upstate and in the city. Their first large-scale endeavor was The Bugs Bunny Follies, a touring show featuring Looney Tunes characters, that launched in 1976 and toured through North and Latin America over the next few years. 

“The Bugs Bunny Follies launched a pattern that continues today, where we secure a client relationship that lasts for years or even decades through multiple projects,” said Clara Rice, ADKS Director of Global Marketing.