Category Archives: Business News

Pioneer Bank, announced the appointment of Jenifer Marten as Vice President and Business Banking Team Leader. A local and regional commercial banking executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience, she will spearhead Pioneer’s efforts to develop and grow commercial business relationships, including overseeing a strengthened strategic approach to meeting the financial needs of community businesses.

In her new role, Marten will guide an enhanced go-to-market strategy focused on improving and expanding access for Pioneer’s local business customers to critical financial resources. From expediting loan review processes to increasing the authority of branch offices to approve loans, Pioneer is deepening its commitment to supporting the growth of regional businesses and the Capital Region economy.  

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jenifer to Pioneer, where she will play a vital role in supporting and growing our commercial banking portfolio,” said Pioneer Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer Jesse Tomczak. “With decades of expertise and experience, and deep roots in the Capital Region, Jenifer is the ideal leader as we seek to increase efficiency and productivity, build connectivity within our branches and the community, and enrich commercial lending and overall financial support to our local businesses.”

By Paul Post

The Glens Falls area’s third large manufacturing employer in less than a year has announced plans to cease operations, impacting 350 workers in Glens Falls and Queensbury.

AngioDynamics, a global medical device maker, says rising inflation, supply chain constraints and workforce shortages are responsible for the move, saving the company an estimated $15 million. 

Early last year, Lehigh Cement Company in Glens Falls shuttered its 130-year-old plant, idling 85 workers, followed several months later by the closure of Essity’s South Glens Falls paper mill and facilities in Greenwich and Saratoga Springs, which cost another 350 jobs.

“It’s never good when one of these operations closes,” said Jim Siplon, Warren County Economic Development president. “But I’m confident this isn’t all bad news. We still have thousands of open positions in the area, not only in manufacturing, but in tourism and health care. We have to figure out how to fill those.”

“What we’re seeing is less and less big employers that are going to be the underpinning of our economy and more and more medium and smaller ones that we need to serve as well,” he said. “No factory and no product line lasts forever. Business cycles are shortening. Our job is to support Angio in whatever transition they’re in the midst of and to make sure our workforce continues to be gainfully employed. We still have a lot of opportunity to do that.”

By Paul Post

 Seasonal workforce housing, a Farmer’s Market pavilion, Shepard Park fishing pier and south Canada Street improvements highlight the projects proposed for Lake George with a new $10 million state grant.

 A committee of public and private officials including four professional planners spent 16 months preparing an application for the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative program.

“The $10 million will help leverage another $20 million to $30 million in public and private investment,” said Committee Chair Dan Barusch, town of Lake George director of planning and zoning. “The town and village are going to be chipping in dollars and business owners will match any money they get for various projects.”

“The indirect economic impact is things like job creation, construction and increased sales tax revenue,” he said. 

Most of 2024 will be spent fine tuning priority projects and considering additional ideas that others may have. An open call for proposals will be issued soon.

A separate planning committee, comprised of local and state officials from various state agencies, will decide the merits of each project before money is forthcoming, with work expected to begin in 2025.

Warrensburg Town Supervisor Kevin Geraghty has been selected to chair the Warren County Board of Supervisors in 2024, the third consecutive year he has been chosen to sit as chair of the board. Geraghty received an overwhelming majority of votes from his colleagues on the 20-member Board of Supervisors at the board’s annual organization meeting.

“I am honored that my colleagues have selected me to chair our Board of Supervisors and I would like to thank everyone who supported me,” Geraghty said. “We accomplished many good things in 2023, a balanced budget with a reduced tax rate chief among them, and Warren County is in good shape as we head into 2024. I look forward to working with each of my colleagues on the board, and all of our great Warren County employees, to continue to make Warren County an outstanding place to live, work and vacation.”

Supervisor Geraghty was nominated to return as chair of the board by Lake Luzerne Town Supervisor Gene Merlino. 2024 will be Supervisor Geraghty’s seventh year as chair of the board, as he also spent four years as chair between 2013 and 2016.

By Susan Elise Campbell

A new venue in the heart of downtown Glens Falls is now open for groups of 30 to 40 people for parties, corporate meetings, reunions, and small receptions. 21 Ridge Street Event Space has a “modern Adirondack feel” that marketing and sales manager Ian Quillinan said makes the space “feel homey and comfortable.” 

The owner of the business, Chris Laing, purchased the building more than a year-and-a-half ago. It has two apartments upstairs and more than 1,800 square feet on the first level with a full kitchen occupying nearly a third of it, Quillinan said. In the past the ground floor housed an eatery and prior to that, a brewery and other types of businesses.

“The owner was thinking of ways to use the building but was not interested in operating a restaurant,” Quillinan said. “An event space was a new idea to utilize the open spaces for rental and provide a kitchen for food preparation.”

Mike Bannon of Saratoga Signature Interiors was brought in to redesign the event area because “his strong suit is the modern, Adirondack lodge style,” Quillinan said. 

By Christine Graf

Twenty-four-year old Queensbury native Chad Phinney was just 19 years old when he opened Trading Card Hub in the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls. At that time, he was selling sports trading cards on eBay.

“I was buying cards and reselling them, and I started making a lot of money doing it out of my parents’ basement. It just grew and grew until it got to the point where I had so many cards,” he said. 

“My store originally sold just sports cards, but everyone wanted Pokémon, so I started getting into that.”

After about one year in business, Phinney found himself in need of a bigger space. He relocated his store to the Aviation Mall, and the following year, he considered relocating for a second time to the Wilton Mall.

 “When I was renegotiating my rent for Aviation, I was in talks with Wilton. I ended up getting a good deal at Aviation and Wilton, so I decided to keep Aviation and open a second store at Wilton,” he said.

By Paul Post

Tom Barody finally got the break he was hoping for after several years on the Glens Falls Farmer’s Market waiting list.

January 6 was his first day doing business at the organization’s winter market, held each Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Aviation Mall’s food court in Queensbury.

“There aren’t a lot of winter market options around here,” said Barody, of Blackberry Hill Farm in Thurman. “Spa City market is the only other one close enough for us, compared to five markets we do in summer. That’s a big cut in your pay. Our specialty is long-fermented breads. We use certified organic flour. It takes two days to make everything. We do a lot of breads and bagels. Pretzels and English muffins are also big sellers along with frozen vacuum-sealed, wood-fired pizza.”

Barody’s opening was made possible when another bread vendor left the market.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has been given a donation of 4.4 acres of undeveloped land in the Town of Lake George. This property borders the LGLC’s 12-acre East Brook Preserve and includes more than three acres of wetlands and 600 feet of forested steam corridor that help to naturally protect water quality.

The “East Brook Addition” donation was gifted to the LGLC by Karen Azer and her late mother Helene Horn.

“I am glad the parcel will remain forever wild,” said Karen Azer, “not only benefitting water quality but also protecting habitat for wildlife.”

LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn (no relation to Helene Horn) said, “We are incredibly grateful to Karen and Helene for their generous donation of land for conservation. Their gift creates a legacy that will forever work to protect Lake George.”

In total, the newly expanded East Brook Preserve includes more than 1,100 feet of East Brook, one of the top ten tributaries of Lake George, and is heavily forested with some impressive hemlock, white pine, ash and sugar maples scattered throughout.

Adirondack Pub & Brewery, Inc. has announced that it has been recommended for a grant of up to $50,000 through the Empire State Development Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program.

 The funding will help the Brewery build a nearly 3,000-square-foot addition and purchase equipment necessary to expand its brewing operation to meet increasing demand for a variety of craft beverages including hard cider, hard seltzer and ready-to-drink canned cocktails. The expansion will bring Adirondack Pub & Brewery’s square footage to approximately 15,000-square-feet.

 John Carr, owner of Adirondack Pub and Brewery said, “We’ve seen a rise in demand for this selection of beverages and we’re excited to have the chance to provide even more for our customers. Currently we’re bursting at the seams. We make everything ourselves, fresh and on site.”

 Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Through the Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program, ESD is helping New York’s craft beer and spirits producers grow and thrive. As Adirondack Pub & Brewery expands production of its distinctive craft beverages, it will encourage new opportunities and generate regional economic growth.”