Category Archives: Business News

By Susan Elise Campbell

Despite staffing shortages and many rainy days, the summer experience around Lake George is proving to be “a phenomenal season,” according to Gina Mintzer, executive director of Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

That’s good news as the country eases out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Lake is beautiful and warm and the campgrounds are full,” said Mintzer. “Everything is open and available. But there is still a pandemic and we are asking people to be safe and on the honor system.”

Television advertising, social media, flyers from businesses, and emails from the Chamber to its members are getting word out that there is an abundance of things to do in this premier resort area, rain or shine.

“There are plenty of indoor activities, such as Hyde Museum downtown Glens Falls and the Warren County Historical Society in Queensbury,” Mintzer said. “Prospect Mountain is open and free” for hiking, picnics, or a short drive offering beautiful views of Lake George.

Special Olympics New York announced the return of State Fall Games, which will be hosted by the Glens Falls community Oct. 22 and 23 at sporting venues throughout the area.

The announcement was made at a Queensbury Hotel press conference with local officials and Special Olympics athletes.

State Fall Games athletes and coaches will compete in seven sports: bocce, cycling, golf, equestrian, soccer, softball, and cross-country running.

“The 2021 State Fall Games will mark two very special milestones for our athletes, coaches and fans,” said Stacey Hengsterman, president and CEO of Special Olympics New York. “This will be our first fall games since we last held them in Glens Falls in 2015, and the first statewide competition we’re able to host in-person since before the global health pandemic. I know I speak for our entire community when I say: Thank you, Glens Falls.”

State Fall Games was eliminated from the Special Olympics New York budget six years ago due to financial constraints, leaving approximately 19,000 fall sports athletes statewide without a state-level competition, officials said. The games were slated to return last October, but they were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special Olympics return to activity protocols require that at least 80 percent of event participants be vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus. Athletes who remain unvaccinated are required to wear masks and social distance at all times.

The Tri-County United Way named Brian Bearor as its new leader, effective Sept. 7.

Bearor will succeed Duane Vaughn, prior executive director, and Peter Aust who has led the organization for the past 10 months as interim executive director during the strategic planning and search process.

Bearor will be responsible for leading the United Way’s strategic goals of inspiring hope, improving lives and creating opportunities for all of Warren, Washington, and northern Saratoga counties. He is also charged with building organizational capacity to support area nonprofits as well as identifying and addressing community issues.

“During our search for a new director, the diligent and dedicated members of the search committee spoke with exceptional candidates across the region. It was a difficult choice, but Brian stood out among the highly competitive field. His vision and clear passion for the Tri- County United Way and our region is exactly what we were looking for in our new leader” said David Krogmann, president of the Tri-County United Way board of directors.

“With Brian’s experience in community development and creating a mission-focused culture, we were convinced that the Tri-County United Way will have engaging and innovative leadership for the years to come.”

Morgan Marine, a subsidiary of The Hacker Boat Co., is now an official dealer for Crownline Boats.

Crownline offers a full line of bow riders, sport deck boats, and cruisers. 

Hacker Boat Co. is a manufacturer of mahogany pleasure craft.

George Badcock, CEO of the Morgan Marine and Hacker Boat Co., said, “joining the Crownline dealership network will diversify our brand offerings.  We will sell the boats exclusively from Morgan Marine, our Silver Bay marina on Lake George, and are confident that there will be a strong demand for the boats in the Adirondack and nearby markets.”

Mark Yurassi, northeast regional sales manager for Crownline Boats, said, “we are delighted with this new relationship with Morgan Marine and the iconic Hacker Boat Co. Our affiliation with this great company will greatly enhance our brand’s visibility in the Adirondack region.”

Crownline got its start in a  small manufacturing facility located in Whittington, Ill., with the first boat produced, a 182 BR, rolling off the production line on March 25, 1991.  Today, Crownline boats are built in a 395,000-square -foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Frankfort, Ill., and are sold all over the world. Its website is www.crownline.com

by Erin Nudi, GlensFalls.com

The Argyle Cheese Farmer, which purchased a spot for expansion in Hudson Falls in 2020, is continuing to sell its popular products, but with an intention to also educate people on how it is made.

The owners, Marge and Dave Randles, said they were looking to expand from the 1,200-square-foot processing facility in Argyle, as demand for products had outgrown the original Cheese House. The Lewis Super Grocery building in Hudson Falls went up for sale and it had the necessary infrastructure they were looking for, including a commercial kitchen, processing and warehouse space. There is also  room for an observation/educational area, and a sizable parking lot.

The idea for an observation room come about from the owners’ observation that people don’t have strong awareness of how food is produced.

“Our observation area at the store, as well as our videos, newsletters, and occasional farm tours, help provide customers with a bit more insight into our food production processes. The observation room is an excellent asset providing customers a chance to see milk being crafted into the delicious dairy products offered at the store,” they said.

The store opened in the spring of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. The business is offering several combined farm and dairy processing plant tours to share with customers information on what goes into bringing products to customers’ tables.

The opening of the store provided an opportunity to partner with Ideal Dairy of Hudson Falls. They provide all of the milk and work together to grow the business. They stopped packaging their milk under their own label in 1987, and this venture provides a  chance to re-engage with the community in a more significant way.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Quantum Chiropractic in Queensbury has moved into new space that the practitioners feel better suits their needs.

Jen Steinberg, certified clinical chiropractic assistant and office manager, said she and her husband, Dr. Bruce Steinberg, are enjoying the  new 357 Ridge Road location.

The practice moved from Mount Royal Plaza in Queensbury.

“The set up of the space that we are in now allows us to better serve our patients, particularly our pediatric patients,” she said. “There is also a resting room for those who have just had an adjustment and want a room that is peaceful and quiet before they leave. Overall it is a better space that fits our needs.”

Quantum Chiropractic specializes in chiropractic care for all ages, including pediatrics.

Dr. Steinberg sees patients with neuro-developmental disorders—such as autism, ADD and ADHD, sensory processing disorders and learning disabilities.

The office uses gentle chiropractic adjustments instead of using drugs and surgeries.

By Christine Graf

After being shut down for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 4,800-seat Cool Insuring Arena in downtown Glens Falls reopened at limited capacity in April. At that time, event attendees were required to wear masks and present negative COVID test results. Those restrictions are no longer in place.

“In the middle of June of this year we were able to reopen normally which was a breath of fresh air,” said arena manager Jeff Mead. “As long as we have under 5,000 people in the building, there are no restrictions.”

Seventy-five percent of the arena’s staff have returned to work, and the rest are expected to return by the end of August, he said. Mead and his operations manager were the only two employees who remained working throughout the shutdown.

The arena hosted four dance events and three graduations during the month of June. Some occurred while the mask and testing mandates were still in effect.

“There were unfortunately a few people who weren’t the happiest of customers,” said Mead. “They either didn’t want to wear masks or didn’t think they should have to show a negative test. It was unfortunate, but I would say that 97 percent of people understood.”

Because of the pandemic, the arena was forced to cancel the 2020-2021 season for its East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team, the Adirondack Thunder. An affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the team will play its home opener for the 2021-2022 season at the arena on Oct. 23.

Craft beverage drinkers can gain access to special offers and the chance to win Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail swag through a new digital passport offered by the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB.

“The craft beverage industry is a year-round attraction that ranked high in consumer traveler surveys distributed by our destination partners to gain insight into what people are looking for when they visit our area,” said Chamber Executive Director Gina Mintzer. “We feel this is an offering that will help visitors find what they’re looking for and gain more visibility for our local craft beverage scene.”

The passport is being marketed to a targeted demographic that mirrors the organic traffic to adkcraftbev.com, which draws many website visitors from out of the area. The top location from out of the area is New York City.

The digital passport was developed through Bandwango, a company that develops digital passports for destinations around the U.S. and Canada. It provides a simple way for the Chamber to analyze redemption and usage data, spot trends and track leads that can help measure economic impact of programs like this.

“We chose a digital passport because we liked the ease of updating the passport throughout the year, the fact that we could continue to interact with users of the passport digitally, analyze data and react to trends,” Mintzer said. “We also like that it can be accessed on a smartphone and isn’t something additional that consumers have to remember to carry with them.”

This passport currently features 15 craft beverage producers (with more to be added) in Essex, Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties.

Currently, there are three prizes: Five  check-ins, an Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail logo window cling; 10 check-ins, a tote bag designed for bottles; and at all locations, entry into grand prize raffle prize