Category Archives: Business News

Do you have an idea for an environmental project that could benefit your community or the local environment? Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District might be able to help. The Soil & Water Conservation District  is accepting applications for its Community Conservation Program, through which grants of up to $1,000 are available per project.

Since 2017, Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District has funded a variety of conservation-related initiatives, including seed libraries, pollinator and rain gardens, tree plantings, and citizen science water quality monitoring. This grant opportunity is aimed toward schools, municipal departments, and local community-based organizations such as scouting groups, beautification committees, or other not-for-profits. Projects must be implemented on public land that is open and accessible.

Projects also must be completed by November 30, 2025 to qualify for this year’s funding.

By Ann Donnelly

Sheila Greco’s journey to becoming the founder and CEO of SGA Talent, a Saratoga-based recruiting firm, is a testament to embracing opportunity and the power of networking. Her story began in bond trading in New York City and took an unexpected turn after a chance conversation at a cocktail party. “Someone said, ‘Oh my God, you should be a recruiter,’” Greco recalls. Intrigued, she explored the field, landed a job at New York City firm Goodrich and Sherwood, and quickly discovered her passion.

Life, however, had other plans. In 1989, family matters brought Greco home to Saratoga. Fortuitously, a client offered to support her in starting her own business, and SGA Talent was born. “I started as sole proprietor, and within about three years,” says Greco, “I hired five people, four of which are still with me today.”

SGA Talent started as a research house that provided organizational chart structures and name generation, which involves providing a company with candidates from a list of competitors that they select. “Our clients said, ‘Why aren’t you doing recruiting? Why aren’t you doing competitive intelligence?’” Greco explains, highlighting how the company’s service offerings evolved organically based on client needs.

Over the years, SGA Talent expanded into executive recruiting and, more recently, ventured into the staffing sector. In 2022, an opportunity arose to staff the Saratoga race track. Despite having no prior experience in hospitality, Greco embraced the challenge. “I said, ‘I don’t know anything about it,’ and embraced it,” she says. This leap of faith led to SGA Talent staffing major events like Formula One races in Las Vegas, the Super Bowl, and the PGA. The firm also provides staff for college food service, outdoor festivals, and corporate events. “That business is a lot of fun, and we’re having a great time,” Greco enthuses, “I love the industry.” 

By Rod Bacon

An often quoted proverb states “When one door closes, another door opens.”

This was the case for Eric Mattison, an entrepreneur who recently established two businesses in Whitehall.

For 10 years Mattison owned Square Nail Rustics in Glens Falls, a business that made wide plank flooring and farmhouse furniture. His 30-employee firm was located in the Chase Bag Building and he a showroom in Union Square and a second manufacturing facility on Dix Avenue. 

He decided to move his base of operations to a home he purchased in Hartford that had a carriage house on the property. The previous owner had made wide plank flooring from old gym bleachers, and Mattison figured the transition to the new location would go smoothly. 

“It was a pre-existing use so I thought it would be pretty easy for me to use that carriage house that he was using to make my wide plank flooring,” he said. 

That was not the case. He had planned to enlarge the carriage house to suit his needs when the COVID pandemic hit. According to him, the price of construction materials went up considerably and the demand for custom flooring and farmhouse furniture declined.

“It simply wasn’t financially feasible to continue with this business anymore,” he said.

So he sold the Hartford property and started looking for another business opportunity. 

By Paul Post

Stewart’s Shops is spending $70 million this year to build new stores and rebrand some of the 45 Jolley convenience stores it recently acquired.

With the acquisition, completed on Dec. 16, the Malta-based company’s footprint now covers a territory from Oswego to Lebanon, N.H., and the Hudson Valley to the Canadian border including its first-ever entry into northern Vermont.

“We’re going to rebrand the stores within the geographic area we currently service first, from Central New York to southern Vermont,” Chief Operating Officer Chad Kiesow said. “Once that’s done, we’ll go north from Rutland into Burlington, St. Albans and northern Vermont.”

There are 48 Jolley stores in Vermont, two in New Hampshire and five in New York including three in Queensbury, one at 777 Upper Glen Street, another on Aviation Road near Northway Exit 19 and a third on Route 9 near Exit 20 across from Lake George Outlets. Albany Business Review has reported that Stewart’s paid $9.6 million for the five New York stores alone.

By Rod Bacon

Construction is underway on a major expansion and renovation of the Sheridan Emergency Department at Glens Falls Hospital. 

This is the first significant upgrade to the department in nearly 30 years, which was helped at the time with a generous gift from David S. and Janet R. Sheridan. 

“My parents chose the emergency department because it’s one of the places that serves the greatest number of people in the hospital’s coverage area,” said Davene Sheridan Brown, one of four Sheridan children.

Part of the funding for the expansion is being underwritten by community support, and the Sheridan Foundation, which was created in 2000, has stepped up with a lead gift of $3 million. Since 1986 the Sheridan family has contributed $5.5 million to the hospital. 

A campaign to raise $15 million of the $25 million goal was kicked off in September at “An Evening to Savor” gala on the hospital grounds with a view of the emergency department.

By Paul Post

Arrow Bank’s newly rebranded name is taking aim at greater Capital Region market share.

The moniker replaces Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Company and its affiliate, Saratoga National Bank & Trust Company, which have operated together since the latter’s company’s formation in 1988.

The newly-named Arrow Bank is a subsidiary of Glens Falls-based Arrow Financial Corporation.

“We’ve been successful with the two brands, but in some instances the name has held us back a little bit,” said David S. DeMarco, corporation president and CEO. “If you go into a new market and you’re a strong company that’s got the name Arrow Bank it should be well perceived versus, ‘Wait a minute, I thought your bank was in Saratoga or Glens Falls.’ ”

“We have a very small market share in the Capital Region,” he said. “That’s really where our growth will be. That’s our target.”

A crowd of company officials and well-wishers recently gathered outside Glens Falls offices to celebrate the new designation, which took effect January 1.