Category Archives: Business News

By Susan Elise Campbell

When Neal Sandin conducts research, he says he is seeking to interpret “the voice of the consumer” who will inform the next steps of a client company’s marketing.

Sandin’s company, 643 Research, is a qualitative research firm he started in 2014 and moved to Malta in November 2019 when he and his wife relocated from New Jersey.

Sandin said he “fell into” focus group research when the moderator of the firm he worked for double booked and was unavailable for one of the clients, who at the time was en route from out of town to observe his company’s session.

“After about 30 minutes of training I jumped in, conducted the group and was good at it,” said Sandin. “The client continued to use me as a moderator.”

He launched his own firm seven years later.

His clients come from various industries and have a range of goals and challenges. Sandin  develops the techniques to reach conclusions and recommendations for advancing a client’s brand and improving customer loyalty. In his toolbox are such qualitative methodologies as ethnography, home visits and focus groups, among others.

By Jill NAgy

A new Glens Falls branch of Adirondack Trust Co. is nearing completion at the corner of Main and Pine Streets.

The branch will be a two-story building with a drive-through window and plenty of parking, according to Charles Wait Jr., the bank’s president and CEO.

The building will replace the current branch on Maple Street. That branch will remain open until the new building is ready, probably in mid-April, Wait said.

The present location does not allow for a drive-through and there is limited parking.

The added space at Main and Pine will allow Adirondack Trust  to provide additional services. For example, Wait said, loan or mortgage officers can be posted there.

A ribbon cutting is planned, along with grand opening promotions in partnership with other businesses.

The building was designed by architects Balzar & Tuck.

By Jill Nagy

The Bonnie View Resort on Lake George was sold in December for $4.4 million.

The buyer is a limited liability company (LLC) created for the sole purpose of holding the property. It was purchased by an investor from Rhode Island.

The resort, at 4654 Lakeshore Drive, on a six-acre lakefront property in Huddle Bay, had been in the Lauro family for 50 years. It has 386 feet of lake frontage.

The resort included 60 motel rooms and cabins, a heated pool, tennis court, and six steel docks. Recently, the buyers’ real estate agent, Jim Casaccio of Bolton Landing, said he drove by the property and saw someone at work cleaning out the buildings.

By Christine Graf
Motorcycle helmet manufacturer Kirsh Helmets launched its first product, the CHM-1 half shell helmet, in December. The company has also expanded its network of independent agents throughout the country.
“Our agents are working to get our helmets into stores—primarily motorcycle dealerships,” said Donald DeVito, president and chief operating officer. “We have 18 agents right now and would like to add a few more.
Manufacturing and assembly is in full swing at the company’s 5,000-square-foot facility in Queensbury. The space is leased from Seeley Machine Work and opened one year ago with support from Warren County Economic Development.
“You launch motorcycle products the same way you do in the automotive industry. You start out of the east coast and west coast and then work your way into the interior. That’s how we are approaching it right now.”
During the winter, Kirsh Helmets is focusing marketing efforts in southern states that have longer riding seasons. The goal is to establish a strong position in retail stores prior to the spring when the riding season resumes in cold weather states.
“I think this year is going to be the same as last year, which was a record year for recreational vehicles including motorcycles,” said DeVito. “It’s a naturally socially distanced lifestyle, so riders rode more.”

Price Chopper/Market 32 has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Tops Markets, a grocery chain based in western New York, that nearly doubles the collective footprints of both in the Northeast, officials said.
Both chains have deep ties to their local communities and shared commitments to service, savings, and convenience, officials said in statement. With increased scale, the merged companies are expected to be better positioned to compete and offer more value and services to their customers.
Scott Grimmett, Price Chopper/Market 32 president and CEO, will be CEO of and serve on the board of directors of the new parent company, which will oversee the operations of nearly 300 Price Chopper, Market 32, Market Bistro and Tops Markets stores and collectively employ more than 30,000 people.
Frank Curci, Tops Markets chairman and CEO, will serve on the board of directors of the new parent company and as a consultant to assist in the transition.
Blaine Bringhurst, Price Chopper/Market 32 executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and store operations, will lead the Price Chopper/Market 32 business. John Persons, Tops Markets president and chief operating officer, will lead the Tops Markets business.
The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders.

A new deferred loan program was established in Glens Falls to help entrepreneurs looking to start or expand businesses in the downtown area.
It is part of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, part of a series of state-funded projects that are coming to fruition.
Entrepreneurs can now apply for a deferred loan through the Glens Falls Business Downtown Revitalization Initiative Venture Enterprise Program, or GF Business DRIVE.
Around $600,000 of the city’s $10 million DRI grant awarded by the state in 2016 to rehab portions of the downtown area near South Street is being used to establish the program, city officials said.
Funding for the program was provided by the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal and will be administered by the city and the Greater Glens Falls Local Development Corp.
The city is seeking to promote new and existing business development within the DRI Target Area, including the South and Elm Street area that will be undergoing a significant redevelopment effort also sponsored by the DRI, and other parts of the Downtown Business District targeted for retail and general commercial activities.
Loans will be based on the needs of each awarded business and will be forgiven after five years if the business continues to operate within Downtown Glens Falls and meets all other program terms during that five-year period, officials said.