Category Archives: Business News

By Paul Post

 Common Roots Brewing Company, best-known for its popular craft beer and ale, now helps people start their day right by serving up fresh coffee, roasted on site, and a selection of  tasty breakfast sandwiches.
The Café, open 7 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday, is located in the firm’s spacious new multi-purpose building, which Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado christened during recent ribbon cutting ceremonies.

 “We started roasting our own coffee because it’s an important ingredient for some of our beers like our Coffee Cup stout,” said Bert Weber, who co-owns Common Roots with his son, Christian. “It became kind of a progression after that. While we’re making coffee we thought it might be a nice way to introduce the public to this space. So we have a lot of people coming in now for coffee and an egg sandwich or breakfast burrito. It’s exposing the space to people who might see it as a nice place to have a celebration or party.”

 The new building, called Bierhall & Barrel House, is on the south side of Common Roots’ restaurant and brewery, at 58 Saratoga Avenue in South Glens Falls.

 The $3.6 million structure, aided by $450,000 in state economic development funding, can accommodate up to 200 people and has already hosted a wedding and a travel program about a local adventurer’s trek to the Himalayas in Nepal.

 “This gives us a lot of opportunities,” Weber said. “The acoustics are pretty good so we might use it as a live music venue at some point, too. It’s multi-functional. There’s a full kitchen so there’s a special menu for events like weddings, banquets and celebrations. When there’s no event going on, we can use it to handle overflow from the restaurant and serve the same menu that’s over there.”

By Jill Nagy

There was such a large crowd at the October 27 opening of the AllTown Fresh market in Fort Edward,” that “it was very difficult to move,” exulted Holly Kitchen, manager of the new market. There was a state senator, two town supervisors, president of the Adirondack Chamber of Commerce, the local radio station, many company officers, several chefs, and, of course, the neighbors, “a fantastic turnout,” Kitchen said.

After the ribbon-cutting, party goers sampled the food, visited a coffee trailer, played games, and toured the new shop. 

The store is located at 1401 Saratoga Road (Route 9) between South Glens Falls and Gansevoort.

AllTown features chef-run kitchens, preparing sandwiches, salads, and full meals, made with organic, locally sourced foods and ingredients. They offer vegan and gluten-free selections. The markets are open around the clock, with the kitchen open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Available beverages include beer as well as coffee and soft drinks. There is free wifi on the premises and outdoor patio seating. Another big draw, according to Kitchen, is “fantastic gas prices.”  .

The Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, New York, broke ground on Circle H Lodge, a new residential lodge for camp staff and volunteers, in late September. Double H Ranch launched its public phase of a $5.5 million capital campaign project in March 2023 to support four areas of focus: the new Residential Lodge, Adaptive Playground, Outdoor Pavilion expansion, and Camp-A-Theater. Backed unanimously by its Board of Directors, the Double H Ranch has secured $5.3 million of its goal.

Dave Michaels, Chair of the Facilities Committee, stated: “It is exciting to be here today breaking ground at the new Circle H Lodge. Double H makes a profound difference in the lives of our campers year-round, and our staff team and volunteers work hard to make the program possible.  This new lodge will provide our counselors and volunteers with a place to recharge and rest, helping them to be the best they can be for our campers.  This new cabin will offer year-round housing, build program capacity, and enhance energy efficiency, and will offer common rooms for meeting and gathering.”

Charlie Crew, Board Chair, stated: “Thank you to all our donors who have collectively contributed 5.3 million towards our campaign. Double H campers look forward all year to experiencing the life changing impact of camp, and they will benefit from these capital improvements for years to come.”

This is the Ranch’s second Capital Campaign endeavor led by Lisa and Robert Moser, who launched the campaign with a $1.5 million leadership gift. “Double H Ranch wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community. We are grateful for the individuals, foundations, businesses, and organizations that have provided generous funding in the initial stage of our campaign. We are inspired by the progress we have made and look forward to meeting our campaign goal in 2023 with the help from our community,” state the Moser’s.

By Ann Donnelly

Chef Christian Raeth, originally from Erlangen in the Bavarian region of Germany, is looking forward to the opening of his new restaurant, Spargel on Nine, later this month. As the name suggests, the restaurant is located at 925 Route 9 in Queensbury, in the former location of Outback Steakhouse and, more recently, 40 Oak.

“While this is my first time owning a restaurant,” says Raeth, “The vision of what we are trying to accomplish has been clear to me for decades. It has always been my dream.

Raeth started his culinary training with an aprenticeship in his native Germany in 1984 and has worked in some of the top restaurants in Germany, Italy, France, and Switzerland. In 1991, Raeth came to the USA, where his sister had relocated, and found a position at the Albany Country Club, where he worked for four years until he returned to Germany.  

After his father died in 2000, Raeth returned to New York State to stay. He worked in fine dining in country clubs and restaurants like Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park, Fort William Henry in Lake George, and Pumpernickle’s in Bolton Landing. For the last 13 years, Raeth spent most of his time out of the kitchen, working in sales for Sysco, the world’s largest wholesale food distributor.

Raeth aims to offer a more authentic German dining experience. “I want to give the customer the experience of walking into a restaurant in Germany, but not in a tourist area. There are no dirndls, no lederhosen. No ‘oompah’ music. If it’s your birthday, nobody will do the chicken dance.”

By Paul Post

Newly renovated Heritage Hall got off to a strong start by hosting the recent third annual Sandy’s Clam Bar Reunion, featuring popular local bands to benefit Operation Santa Claus.

 The event space at Cool Insuring Arena was given a $1 million makeover this summer , highlighted by new flooring, ceilings, walls and electrical wiring along with multi-colored lighting and a stone countertop bar. A new storage room was created at the west end of the room so table and chairs no longer have to be kept behind curtains in the hallway.

 “It’s a multi-purpose room for whatever someone envisions,” said Jeff Mead, arena general manager. “The plan is to host weddings, business events, chamber mixers, birthday parties, comedy shows. Anybody who has an event, we’ll work with them. We’re also going to show Thunder away hockey games on new 70-inch TVs. There will be a full bar and menu to order from.”

 The project was paid for with public and private dollars including $500,000 from Warren County and $200,000 from the City of Glens Falls, the building’s owner.

 “Then we realized, if we do this room and make it beautiful, the hallway is still outdated,” Mead said. “It wouldn’t have the same ‘wow’ factor. So we redid the halls as well.”

The Arrow Family of Companies recently opened its renovated corporate headquarters at 250 Glen Street in downtown Glens Falls. 

The multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment includes the Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. Main Office branch and lending offices that are now open to customers. 

The building also houses administrative and operational support for Arrow Financial Corp. and its family of companies, which includes Glens Falls National Bank, Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. and Upstate Agency, LLC. 

“The completion of this multi-year renovation project is more than just a revitalization of our bank and offices. It’s an investment in the future of our customers, our employees and our communities,” said President and CEO Dave DeMarco. “Our 172-year history is in Glens Falls, and we are so proud to contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the city’s downtown. 

“As we look to the future, this space will help us enhance the customer experience and show our team how much we value their expertise and collaboration.”

Extensive upgrades were made throughout the building. Aging equipment was replaced with new energy-efficient systems, including a full overhaul of electrical and HVAC. The newly renovated space includes solar panels, rooftop green space, energy-saving lighting and water-conserving plumbing, helping to reduce the environmental footprint of the company.

Approximately 500 runners finished in the seventh annual ADK 5K, a record for the race since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, organizers said.

Officials said the event brought about 1,000 people total to Lake George, counting spectators who came to cheer on friends and family. People came from 11 states including Florida, Arizona, and Wisconsin to run the race on Sept. 16. There was also an international runner from Quebec.

The race—part of the Great American Brewery Runs Series—began and ended at Adirondack Pub & Brewery with a family-friendly party afterward complete with music, beer, lawn game zone, and more. 

Many participants make a weekend out of the event.

“It was great to see all the runners enjoying one of the most beautiful 5Ks in New York state. It was also exciting to see how many of the Adirondack Brewery staff ran in it. A great day for everyone,” said Adirondack Pub & Brewery owner John Carr.

This chip-timed certified USATF 5K has grown steadily over the years and was one of the few 5K races that was allowed to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic with health and safety measures in place, leading to broader exposure of the race and its continued growth.