Category Archives: Business News

By Paul Post

Area businesses have stepped up to the plate to help the Glens Falls Dragons get off to a good start at East Field, where several major improvements have been made for the 2024 season.

More than 450 comfortable stadium seats from a minor league ballpark in Newark, N.J. are in place behind home plate, first-base bleachers have new wooden seating, and electrical and water lines have been installed for the right-field concession stand and rest room area.

“We’re just trying to get the place fixed up to keep baseball here in Glens Falls,” team owner Ben Bernard said. “We want to keep this an inexpensive family attraction for the area.”

The Dragons are led by first-year coach Ryan Deo, a College of St. Rose player-coach, and open at home on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. against the Amsterdam Mohawks. St. Mary’s High School alum Pete Brown, a former minor league hurler, returns as pitching coach.

By Jill Nagy

Gabriel Frankewich bills himself as the Blade Doctor and tries to bring military precision to sharpening knives, blades, and surgical tools. Headquartered in several former garages in Ballston Lake, he does most of his work from his van

“I am in my van almost all day,” he said, bringing the business to the customer. He brings some very large jobs back to his shop. He describes himself as “detail oriented. . . . a little on the perfectionist side.” He attributes that to his military training and experience as an MP.

He covers a broad area, roughly from Lake George to the Catskills.

As a boy, he was fascinated by his grandfather’s grindstone and began grinding everything he could lay his hands on, including a shovel. His grandfather taught him how to use the grindstone properly and he was off to a lifetime of grinding and sharpening. In the military, he sharpened his buddies’ pocket knives. Later, when living in Israel, he spent so much time sharpening knives and utensils for other people that his father suggested that he make a business out of it. So, he did. He had a sharpening business in Tel Aviv, Israel, for three years before returning to the United States seven years ago.

Much of Frankewich’s current work consists of sharpening the surgical tools of area dentists, doctors, and orthodontists. He said that he wants to do more of that kind of work and that he expects, in another two years or so, to do that exclusively.

West Mountain has hired Olympic and World Cup Coach Teresita Birkner as head women’s FIS coach for West Mountain Racing. Her daughters, Macarena and Belen, individually or collaboratively, will serve as her FIS assistants helping U16 athletes to transition to FIS.

“We are so excited for our young women FIS athletes to be coached and mentored by such a strong, powerful, globally accomplished and recognized ski racing family,” said Sara Montgomery, program director of West Mountain Racing and general manager at West Mountain.

Some of the family’s past and recent accomplishments and qualifications include:

• Coach Teresita: mother and coach of three very accomplished ski racing daughters; Head Coach Argentina Nat. Ski Team; 30 years coaching all disciplines FIS World Level, including but not limited to, four Olympics, 13 World Championships, six FIS Jr World Championships; South American Cup Titles-33 overall, 34 SL, 31 GS, 22 SG, 11 DH, five Combined; Argentina National Ski Championships-33 GS, 32 SL, 2 DH, 6 SG.

Muroff Hospitality Group has announced the sale of The Lamplight Inn Bed & Breakfast at 231 Lake Ave in Lake Luzerne. Known as “The Jewel of the Adirondacks,” this award-winning property features 12 luxurious suites, a sun-drenched dining room and a spacious owner’s apartment. The expansive wrap around porch leads into the grand 1890 Victorian building. The Carriage House is behind the main building where there are five large ground floor suites in a modern building surrounded by acres of wooded privacy.

The sellers are Eugene and Linda Merlino. Gene Merlino has been the long-time town supervisor of Lake Luzerne, and will continue in that role. The buyers are George and Mary Haleem of Pennsylvania. This will be their first investment property in New York state. 

Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group represented the seller and secured the buyer in this exclusive listing. The sale price was $1,255,000 and the transaction closed on May 1 in Queensbury.

The Inn was built in 1890 as the summer home of wealthy bachelor Howard Conkling. Conkling was a lawyer from New York City and a member of the New York State Assembly. He was well traveled and wrote multiple books of his travels. No expense was spared for his home. A 12-foot beamed ceiling, chestnut wainscoting and keyhole staircases enhance the spacious Great Room, now used as the guest sitting area.

By Paul Post

Denver Semon developed a strong following as chef at the former Flight and Aviator restaurants in Glens Falls and Queensbury, respectively.

Now she’s taking off with her own new eatery, Scratch Kitchen, at 199 Warren Street in Glens Falls, directly across from the south end of McDonald Street.

The quaint, tastefully decorated establishment brings a touch of country to the city as Semon makes her own breads, soups and sausage meats complemented by fresh herbs, veggies and colorful cut flowers, available for sale, which she raises at home.

“Everything’s going to be made from scratch,” she said. “My own breads, my own roast turkey. I’ve done this for others for a long time. Chefs work a lot of hours. I just thought, if I’m going to work that many hours I might as well do it for myself.”

Originally from a Finger Lakes small town, Semon moved to Glens Falls in 1998 and has also worked at The Sagamore and as executive chef for Point O’Pines Girls Camp in Brant Lake. Her career also took her to Williamsburg, Va., before moving back to Glens Falls. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

WellNow Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing providers of urgent medical care, telehealth and occupational medicine services in the United States. With a new location that opened April 10 at 920 Lake George Road in Queensbury, medical care and diagnostic services are now available seven days a week to patients in the North Country, said Beth Pagan, WellNow’s director of market operations for eastern New York.

“WellNow provides a wide array of diagnostics, including X-rays, EKGs, complete metabolic panels, and much more,” said Pagan. 

There are nearly 80 WellNow locations in the state and 200 in the country offering urgent, not emergency, care.

“Our centers offer more services than the average primary care physician so that patients can be treated right away without having to go to a traditional emergency room, where they might face long wait times and an expensive bill,” she said. 

Saratoga Springs rower and Regatta Director for the Saratoga Rowing Association, Kristi Wagner, has been announced as one of the first 21 members selected to go to the Summer Games in Paris this July, by US Rowing. 

Wagner plans the Head of the Fish, among other high school races for SRA, with her doubles partner Sofia Vitas.

Together, Wagner and Vitas won the Bronze medal at the 2023 World Rowing Championships. The two women were part of the first round of rowers selected by the US Rowing Team to compete at the Olympics. 

Together they will be looking to return to the medal podium in the women’s double sculls in Paris. Now a five-time national team member, Wagner will be racing at her second Olympic Games, having finished fifth in the event in Tokyo. Also a five-time national team member, Vitas will be making her Olympic debut in Paris.

In addition to being a full-time athlete and Regatta Director, Wagner is also a podcast host. For the past year, she’s been taking listeners behind the scenes of her journey to qualify to make the Olympic games in her show “The Other 3 Years.”

By Jill Nagy

Shelley Riopelle opened a new skin care facility in February in Fort Edward. Called the Skin Renaissance Studio, it is located at 1461 Route 9.

Riopelle has been providing skin care treatments for 28 years, including 10 years in Saratoga and, most recently, at a day spa she owned in South Glens Falls for two-and-a-half years. 

She describes her new location as “warm and welcoming” and in a great location with easy access and ample parking.

The emphasis at Skin Renaissance Studio is on skincare. “I’m very passionate about skincare; it’s what I love to do,” Riopelle said. She offers a wide range of skin care services, particularly facial treatments. Licensed as a medical aesthetician, her services run the gamut from eyebrow shaping to full body waxing. Services also include light therapy treatments, dermaplaning, chemical peels and more. She specializes in treatments for rosacea, sun damaged pigmented skin, and anti-aging treatments.

Highfield Boats, the world’s leading manufacturer of aluminum rigid inflatable boats (RIBS) and tenders, has announced that it has added a new boat dealer to its U.S. sales network: Queen Boat Co. on Lake George. 

Bolton Landing native Tyler Moseman, recently hired to oversee Highfield North America’s marketing, said, “We see Queen Boat Co. as a great fit to introduce Highfield to the Upstate New York region. They have beautiful facilities, a reputation for providing great customer experience, and a robust service department. All that, coupled with the opportunity to grow the Highfield brand within their Freedom Boat Club, made them a logical partner. I am very excited to work closely with them being a Lake George boater myself.”

Located in Dunhams Bay on Lake George, Queen Boat Co. is a full-service public marina specializing in sales of ePropulsion and Torqeedo electric outboards. In 2023, Queen Boat Co. partnered with Aqua superPower to install the first marine fast charging station in the Northeast. It is also home to the Freedom Boat Club Lake George membership club. A family-owned business, Queen Boat Co. continues to look for innovative products and service offerings to improve the boating experience for existing boaters and the new generation of boaters entering the boating lifestyle.