Category Archives: Business News

By Christine Graf

Hunt Real Estate, a company with more than 1,300 sales professionals and 40-plus offices throughout western and upstate New York, recently expanded its Glens Falls office by acquiring All American Properties.

Hunt Real Estate also has offices in Massachusetts and Arizona.

All American Properties was the largest locally-owned real estate company in Glens Falls. Owner Ted Wilson operated the company for 20 years. He and his 20 affiliated agents have transferred to the Hunt Real Estate office at 333 Glen St. Hunt will also take over All American’s Chestertown office and those agents will remain in the current location on Main Street.

The acquisition of All American Properties occurred just one year after Hunt’s acquisition of Century 21 Potvin Realty, a Glens Falls real estate company owned by Charlotte Potvin. In May, she and her 19 agents joined Hunt Real Estate in the Glens Falls office.

According to Dave Chambers, the branch director of Hunt Real Estate’s Glens Falls and Bolton Landing offices, “We’ve done two acquisitions in the past year, and we went from 22 agents to 70 agents. We brought them all into our Glens Falls office in the Travelers building. We’re now remodeling and expanding the office and taking over some more space.”

The larger office is needed as agents transition back to working in the office after being forced to work from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Some people are still working from home, but the traffic in the office has definitely picked up in the last month or so,” said Chambers. “We think it’s a huge positive to have a big, nice office for everyone to come into.”

Hunt Real Estate had more than $3 billion in sales in 2020, but Chambers said they are still relatively new to the area. In order to grow their local presence, the company is interested in making additional acquisitions in the region. They recently opened an office in Saratoga.

“We’ve tried to aggressively grow over the last year—or couple of years—and are still looking to do so. It’s about finding the right deal at the right time. Both Charlotte’s and Ted’s deals worked out to be that way, and it’s worked out well for everybody. They wanted to make sure their people were taken care of,” he said. “We’re definitely  looking for more deals—more acquisitions.

By Christine Graf

Capital Region plastic surgeon, Dr. Edwin Williams III, is the new owner of F.R. Smith and Sons Marina at 36 Sagamore Road in Bolton Landing.

He bought the marina from Robin Smith for $3.5 million on May 27. The Smith family had owned the marina since 1921.

Williams has been vacationing in Lake George since he was in high school. Five years ago, he and his wife purchased a second home—the former Smith family home–in Bolton Landing. It is located adjacent to the marina.

“We knew the marina, and it’s been for sale for about four or five years. I started talking to them about three years ago because I wanted to make sure the marina was preserved,” said Williams. “There’s a lot of development on the lake, and I hear rumors that people think I’m going to knock it down and put condos in. That’s not going to happen.”

After purchasing the marina, Williams met with its employees and assured them their jobs were safe. F.R. Smith employs approximately 20 workers during the summer, and there are a few staff members who are full time and work year round. Two of those employees certified Mercury master mechanics. Scott Olson, former manager at Dockside Landing Marina, will be taking over general manager responsibilities from Scott Anderson

“I couldn’t have done this transaction without his (Anderson’s) help. It was very complicated. I have a great relationship with him and tried to get him to stay, but he put 39 years into that marina,” said Williams. “So we brought on Scott Olson who did a spectacular job running Dockside Marina for 10 years. He’s a real people person and has a ton of experience.”

F.R. Smith is a full service marina and sells both new and used boats as well as Old Town canoes. They are an authorized dealer for popular brands including Avalon, Bryant, and Rinker. Last fall, the marina became an authorized Sea Ray dealer.

“That’s huge. Sea Ray is the number one searched boat on the internet. I think Scott Anderson was working on that for about five years before they finally landed it,” said Williams.

Upstate Agency, a subsidiary of Arrow Family of Companies, is celebrating 40 years of service to residents and businesses in Schroon Lake.

Upstate Agency specializes in personal, commercial and group health benefits insurance with offices in Warren, Washington, Clinton, Essex and Saratoga counties.

The Schroon Lake agency, established in 1981, originally in the Freidman Real Estate office, moved to its present location at 1072 Route 9 in 1983. Upstate staff recently celebrated with a Coffee Takeover at Stewart’s that included free coffee and giveaways. Another Coffee Takeover will be scheduled for the fall, compamy oficials said.

“Our commitment to Schroon Lake and the surrounding area is strong, and we look forward to many more years helping friends, neighbors and business owners with insurance products and services that help them protect what matters the most to them,” said Kevin O’Brien, senior vice president.

A large furniture donation to the Schroon Lake Community Church, which suffered a devastating fire in January 2019, is another way Upstate Agency supports the Schroon Lake community. A desk used by many company CEOs over the decades will serve as the church’s new altar and the conference table will be the center of the new meeting room, according to the company.

Open Door Mission, located at 226 Warren St. in Downtown Glens Falls , has completed a new 5,300-square-foot kitchen.

Formerly, the kitchen was located in a small building at the corner of Lawrence and Walnut streets.

Open Door Mission had a ribbon cutting and celebrated its 30th anniversary of operation, developing solutions that address the challenges of homelessness and food insecurity that has become a daily reality for many families.

Officials said with the expansion the new kitchen is able to seat 100 guests with a capacity of 200 meals per day. The space allows guests to participate in daily support groups, classes and training. There is a teaching section in the kitchen to train people for workforce opportunities.

“We are honored to serve in this role and meet the growing needs of those in our region,” said Kim Cook, president and CEO. “Having this space opens up endless possibilities and opportunities that we did not have in our old space.  That space served us a well for a time, but having the kitchen relocated to Warren Street will allow our staff to focus more on our guests.”

The project was led by Hilltop Construction and AJA Architecture and Planning, with the help of Open Door Mission volunteers.  Funding for the project came from community donors as well as corporate and foundation grants, including Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Charles R. Wood Foundation, Cloudsplitter Foundation, Putnam Family Foundation and Sandy Hill Foundation.

The project included excavation and construction, new freezer/cooler, kitchen equipment, upgraded electrical and natural gas lines.

By Christine Graf

Todd Drake, owner of Watervliet-based Cornerstone Building Corp. and Empire Real Estate Management, recently purchased Adirondack Diamond Point Lodge in Diamond Point for $900,000.

The 2.8-acre vacation property is located approximately three miles north of the village of Lake George and includes both cabins and traditional lodge suites. On-site amenities include a heated pool, fire pits, tiki bar cabana, basketball court, ping pong, shuffle board, a playground and an indoor recreation room.

Drake owns other cabin-style resort properties and an RV campground and first became aware of Adirondack Diamond Point Lodge almost 20 years ago. At the time, one of his business partners was involved with the property.

“He left that property several years ago, and when it came for sale, I thought it was a good time to get involved myself. I was familiar with the property and always enjoyed it. I do a lot of business in the Adirondacks with other types of lodging. I’ve always been interested in working in the Lake George area.”

According to Drake, the property caters to families. The cabins and suites are large. It is far enough from the village to be off the beaten path but close enough to allow guests easy access to the village.

“It’s in a relaxed setting in the trees, and it’s only eight minutes from village. In my view, it’s the best of both worlds. You’re out of the asphalt jungle, but you can go down and visit and go to the beaches and stores and attractions. It’s on the trolley stop, and it’s also close to Bolton Landing.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Michael Bittel has noted that “when the time is right and we are fully open again, people will get out again locally and spend money to support our region.”

Vacationers appear to be ready, as are locals who want to enjoy summer at the lakes, resorts, restaurants, shops and venues in the North Country. But it will be difficult for businesses to post profit this season, according to people in the hospitality and retail industries, without adequate staff to serve consumers.

“It’s not just Lake George. Hiring is a problem across the country,” said Gina  Mintzer, executive director of Lake George Chamber of Commerce.

The region had low unemployment going into the pandemic, Mintzer said. Now the demand for workers greatly exceeds the supply. The reasons include changing family schedules, safety fears, fewer immigrant worker visas, bigger unemployment checks and transportation gaps, said the experts.

“Families are juggling fluctuating work schedules,” said Liza Ochsendorf, director of Warren County Employment & Training Administration. “This doesn’t allow parents to have a consistent routine with work, school and child care.”

The Adirondack Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, have announced the schedule for this upcoming season.

The 72-game campaign features two trips to St. John’s, a voyage to Idaho and three out-of-division opponents making a visit to Cool Insuring Arena.

This season also introduces Trois-Rivières to the North Division, an opponent that the Thunder will face eight times in 2021-22.

Officials said the schedule is subject to change. It is as follows:

October

Saturday, Oct. 23 vs. Newfoundland, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 27 vs. Worcester, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 30 vs. Reading, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.

November

Friday, Nov. 5 @ Newfoundland, Mile One Centre, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 6 @ Newfoundland, Mile One Centre, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 7 @ Newfoundland, Mile One Centre, 4 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 12 vs. Utah, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 13 vs. Utah, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 14 vs. Utah, Cool Insuring Arena, 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 17 @ Idaho, Idaho Central Arena, 9:10 p.m; Friday, Nov. 19 @ Idaho, Idaho Central Arena, 9:10 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20 @ Idaho, Idaho Central Arena, 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 24 vs. Newfoundland, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 26 vs. Worcester, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 27 vs. Maine, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 p.m.

By Lisa Balschunat

EDC Warren County has hired Amy Potter, formerly of Stewart’s Shops, as its marketing and communications director.

The EDC has been strengthening its staff over the past year in the wake of the death of its long-time president, Edward Bartholemew, in 2020. Last July, Jim Siplon, former CEO of JUST Water, was named interim president and CEO. In March he was made permanent in those roles.

Potter has been tasked with assisting in “retaining, growing and attracting business to Warren County,” an ongoing purpose of the EDC.

“I am looking forward to connecting with the EDC’s 100 members and future members in the coming months.” Powers said. “I see the potential for growth on several levels, especially with key initiatives in the investment in broadband, housing and infrastructure improvements that drive economic growth.”

Powers said she will be reaching out to members “to discuss initiatives that work for their businesses.. I’ll be managing our social media on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and I’m looking forward to learning about area professionals who are sharing their relocation stories on the EDC blog, ‘The Upside.’”