Category Archives: Business News

The multi-year project to repair and upgrade critical water infrastructure on Lake George that officials said is crucial to protecting the long-term health of the lake is complete, state officials announced. 

New York state invested nearly $15 million in the state-of-the-art improvements to the village of Lake George’s wastewater treatment plant that will significantly reduce the amount of pollution that enters the lake and create lasting environmental and economic benefits for the region.

“New York state is committed to working with our local communities to safeguard the quality of our lakes throughout the state, making record investments to protect public health and the environment,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Lake George serves as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Northeast and a beloved location for family vacations, sustaining annual traditions that span generations. 

“The critical upgrades made to the village’s wastewater treatment plant will protect the future of this majestic water body while promoting economic growth and tourism throughout the region.”

Lake George is one of New York’s most popular tourist destinations. Nicknamed the “Queen of American Lakes”, the 28,160-acre water body located in the southeast corner of the Adirondacks that has served as a major tourism destination since the Revolutionary War era. Lake George residents and visitors take advantage of the myriad opportunities for outdoor and aquatic recreation in the region.

By Andrea Harwood

After 30 years in business, Fish307.com is relocating to a larger facility in Lake George.

The store is moving to 814 Goggins Road in Lake George, the old location of the Adirondack Mountain Club right off Northway Exit 21. 

Jeff Goldberg, owner and operator, said the company has simply outgrown the space they are currently in, located at 6 Route 149  at the end of the Million Dollar Mile near the outlets. As the brick-and-mortar business has grown and the online ecommerce site has expanded, the space is no longer large enough.

“I didn’t have any intention of moving. In fact, I really want to retire. My people came to me and said, ‘Look, this building is for sale’. It was the perfect location and a nice building. So I said, ‘Well, I guess I’m not gonna retire any time soon’,” he said.

The building on Goggins Road is being renovated, with ceilings removed and raised, walls removed, bathrooms being brought up to ADA compliance and space in general being opened up. The back wall was moved 16 feet into the warehouse, creating a 3,500-square-foot showroom. Because the building is on 4.5 acres, Fish307.com can expand in the future without having to move again.

Goldberg anticipates being able to open doors for business by the end of September. The original location is still open and operating. 

The inaugural Queensbury Wizard Fest will be held on Sunday, Sept. 18, at Ridge/Jenkinsville Park in Queensbury that will include games like Quidditch, also known as Quadball, based on the broomstick sport from the “Harry Potter” books and movies.

It will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

College teams will participate in Quidditch, including those from the University of Rochester, Cornell University, Vassar College, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).  

Volunteers from the Rochester Institute of Technology/Syracuse University mixed team will offer a “kidditch clinic” for kids of all ages to learn how to play the game. 

The event will feature actual Quidditch Quadball games, entertainment, vendors with wizard wares, food vendors and more.  

Kristin Chlopecki was named the new executive director of the Tri-County United Way, succeeding Brian Bearor, who resigned in April.

She has served the organization for eight years as a business manager and director of resource development before accepting her new position with the board of directors.

Zack Moore, chairman of the Tri-County United Way board of directors, said he is happy to have someone who is already a part of the organization take the job.

“We are so fortunate to have a local person who is already on our United Way team and is as experienced a leader as Kristin and is prepared to accept these broader responsibilities,” Moore said in a news release. “Kristin was the unanimous and enthusiastic choice of our search committee.”

Chlopecki is a Glens Falls High School graduate. Before joining United Way, she worked in fashion publishing in New York City after earning degrees from Ohio University and New York FIT. She said she is looking forward to bringing leadership of the United Way team the “financial and creative skills that made her successful in business.”

“I’ve had the privilege of working with the Tri-County United Way for eight years and have truly learned the meaning of community. The people of this area are sincerely generous and I have learned so much from watching the work of the local agencies that help so many people and the donors who make it possible for the agencies do their good work,” Chlopecki said. “I am honored to be chosen to be the team leader for the Tri-County United Way to help positively impact our area nonprofits.”

The Arts District of Glens Falls is calling for a second round of artists to create public art on three more electrical boxes in downtown Glens Falls. 

The Arts District, launched in 2015, is a group of 14 organizations working with the City of Glens Falls on a public arts trail as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. It was created by the nonprofit arts and cultural organizations of Glens Falls to build a connection between member organizations, attract tourists and residents to arts and culture offerings throughout the city, and engage in public art. 

Officials said the program will enhance the cultural experience of the art-centered district. 

The group is seeking artists to paint on electrical boxes. Art proposals must include all sides of the electrical box. Final box assignments will be determined by the group’s  public art committee. 

Proposals must include the artist’s signature on the proposal as it would appear on the actual electrical box. 

By Andrea Harwood

Mike Gerarde, formerly of Keena Staffing, has started a professional golf instruction business.

PSG Golf offers golf lessons to golfers of all ages and abilities, with an additional focus on golf as a means of professional business development, Gerarde said. 

He teaches out of Bay Meadows Golf Course and The Luxury Box, both in Queensbury. He will meet clients at their own golf course within 25 miles of downtown Glens Falls.

When Gerarde was in a business development role at Keena Staffing, he went to many golf tournaments to network. He noticed most of his associates didn’t go. When he asked them why, they responded they didn’t think they were good enough golfers to go.

“Golf is such a great opportunity to get with other business owners and people, not just for tournaments, but in general,” he said. “There’s no better way to network  … Thinking that you’re not good enough to golf shouldn’t be a reason to deter you from doing it.”

He said his client target is  “the person who wants to enjoy golf and use it in the business world. I did the coffee dates and seeing people at mixers. But nothing comes close to the type of relationship that I would get out on a golf course.”

By Christine Graf

New Way Lunch, home of the famous “dirt dog,” is finishing up renovations to its restaurant at 21 South St. in Glens Falls. 

Established in 1919, the popular family-owned eatery has been a fixture in downtown Glens Falls since 1919. New Way Lunch also has locations in Queensbury and Warrensburg.

The popular lunch spot closed in March 2020, and because of the pandemic, work on the project was significantly delayed. 

“We’re still in the process updating and fixing all that needs to be fixed and extending the building out on South Street,” said owner Peter Gazetos, grandson of New Way Lunch founders John and Mary Floro. His wife, Susan, along with son, Nicholas, and daughter, Alexandria Minneo, work alongside him in the family business.

“We’re putting a small addition on the back and changing interior and exterior color. We’ve updated all of the infrastructure including the plumbing. We will have a covered outdoor seating area with a galvanized roof. We’re giving it a nice face lift,” he said.

Gazetos started at New Way Lunch in 1979 and has owned the business since 1990. His flagship location was moved from 54 South St. to 21 South St. more than a decade ago. 

By Jill Nagy

Adirondack Winery has opened a new tasting room and event space in Queensbury at 395 Big Bay Road. 

Adirondack Winery, with locations in Lake George and Queensbury, produces 35 varieties of wine from New York state grapes, most of them from the Finger Lakes region. In addition to many standard wine varieties, they specialize in fruit-infused wines.

Sasha Pardy and her husband and co-owner, Michael Pardy, opened their first winery in 2008 at 285 Canada St. in Lake George. That year, Pardy and his father produced 1,000 cases of wine, using a 1,000-square-foot space at the back of the tasting room. They quickly sold out and had to supplement with wines from other New York state wineries. 

Three years later, they moved their wine-making operation to their location in Queensbury and they also renovated and enlarged the Lake George tasting room. Pardy estimated that more than 60,000 people visit that tasting room each year. The winery added Brad Casacci to its staff, promoting him to winemaker in 2021.

The Pardys also developed an online sales capacity and began shipping their wine to 35 states.  

By Jill Nagy

Morcon, a paper products company in Eagle Bridge, plans a major expansion of its facility. 

Company president Joe Raccula expects to have the final piece of the puzzle in place by the end of the month when the Waren-Washington Industrial Development Agency (IDA) os expected to approve the company’s application for a tax abatement package.

The total cost of the project is budgeted at $15 million. 

To help pay that bill, the company is seeking some $744,000 in sales tax exemptions and $119,000 in mortgage tax exemptions. Preliminary work, like moving fiber optic lines, has already begun.  

The IDA has been “extremely supportive” throughout a two-year planning process, Raccula said. That support influenced the decision to expand in Eagle Bridge rather than at the company’s much larger facility in South Carolina, he noted. 

Morcon manufactures paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue. They buy rolls of paper from factories all over North America and turn the paper into the finished products.