The former Merrill Magee Restaurant and Inn at 3 Hudson St. in Warrensburg will be re-opened under a new name by a local entrepreneur.
Ash Anand of the Lotus Group of Companies has acquired the property and will oversee the reopening through his group’s Hospitality Division.
That group ran the Grist Mill, which was recently damaged by fire. Plans are to use that staff to work on the new venture the Grist Mill , 100 River St., Warrensburg, is renovated and rebuilt as needed. The fire happened in November.
The Bond, 1786 will be dedicated to serving creative, original and affordable cuisine along with hand crafted cocktails, local brew selections and homemade desserts, Anand said in a news release.
The entire property will be called The Bond and the restaurant will specifically be known as 1786, Anand said.
The Merrill Magee House boasts several smaller private dining spaces, a rustic but elegant bistro area and a main dining room with cathedral ceilings, intimate beam work and several fireplaces. Anand said he has plans to cultivate the entire property into a destination vacation spot.
The house is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Hyde Museum Get New Chief Development Officer; To Remain Closed Through May 1
The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls has named John Lefner as its new chief development officer.
Lefner has over 17 years of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience.
The museum also has temporarily paused public visits to its galleries, exhibits, and historic home. It will open its doors to the public again on Saturday, May 1, with an exhibition titled “The Very Best of The Hyde.”
“Our first and most pressing priority always is to protect our staff and visitors,” said Chief Executive Officer Norman E. Dascher Jr., noting that the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, predicted to continue this winter and early spring, led to the decision.
The Hyde will undertake internal improvement and maintenance projects during the period and its offices will remain open, though with reduced hours and staff. Some employees will be furloughed, others will work on limited schedules, he said.
In his most recent position, Lefner was the District executive director for the Capital District YMCA, where he led the strategic plan and oversaw all operations of YMCA Camp Chingachgook and the Schenectady YMCA. Prior to that, he was the director of operations for the Saratoga Independent School and the assistant director of operations for the Double H Ranch.
He has served as board member for Wellspring and the state YMCA Foundation, provided leadership to the Schenectady Foundation’s COVID-19 Coalition, and volunteers regularly in the Capital Region.
Trans-Border Global Freight Systems Meets Global Shipping Challenges With Experts
By Susan Elise Campbell
Global freight networks— needed to get the goods from manufacturers to customers—are complex and challenging. And when the COVID-19 pandemic came along, it threw a wrench into things.
Manufacturing was cut back, ports closed, truckers stayed home and delays increased, affecting the dynamics of an industry that consumers and businesses rely on.
“It was a total nightmare, but we have pivoted to adapt to the changing environment,” said Jake Oswald, an account executive with Trans-Border Global Freight Systems Inc. in Round Lake.
Trans-Border is an award-winning, licensed U.S. customs broker specializing in transportation logistics. Oswald said the firm manages goods as they travel throughout the supply chain by land, sea or air. They do so as safely, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible and in accordance with a litany of changing regulations and financial considerations.
The company has a staff of 65, as well as remote sales reps and independent reps sprinkled across the country. But it takes about 590 international partners, developed over the past 25 years, to manage the importing and exporting needs of companies, according to Oswald.
With the teams of import and export specialists and directors at Trans-Border, Oswald said “there are a bunch of eyes on the supply chain to make sure products get through quickly and efficiently.”
Adirondack Regional Insurance Agency In Queensbury Acquired By Marshall & Sterling
Marshall & Sterling Insurance, a Poughkeepsie-based firm with a large Albany presence, has acquired Adirondack Regional Insurance Agency in Queensbury. The acquisition closed on Jan. 1.“We are very excited to join the Marshall &Sterling family,” said Jeffrey D. Howard, president of Adirondack Regional Insurance Agency. “Being part of a much larger organization, we will now have in-creased capabilities such as additional insurance carriers represented, the ability to handle exposures in other states, in-house loss control services, employee benefits, and wealth management, just to name a few.” Adirondack was founded by Howard in 1997and has two offices located in Queensbury and Warrensburg, providing personal and commercial insurance coverage and services. With the acquisition of Adirondack, Marshall &Sterling’s operations will include 36 offices across five U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Marshall& Sterling is already one of the largest in Albany with $848.22 million in total local insurance volume in 2019.The transaction is the latest in a number of recent independent insurance company acquisitions.
AARP And Public Private Strategies Start Resource Center For 50+ Entrepreneurs
ARP and Public Private Strategies launched thefree Small Business Resource Center for the 50+ toprovide resources to aspiring entrepreneurs andestablished business owners. Older entrepreneurscan find support, resources and practical guidanceas they start, manage and grow their business.“Small businesses are vital to our nation’seconomy and many are started by Americans age 50and up,” said Susan Weinstock, AARP vice presidentof financial resiliency programming. “The impactof the pandemic on small businesses cannot beoverstated and it is crucial that business owners andaspiring entrepreneurs have practical guidance andinformation in this moment.”A significant majority of small business areowned by entrepreneurs who started their busi-nesses later in life. More than half (54 percent) ofAmerica’s small business owners are over 50 and in2019 they employed almost half (47.3 percent) ofthe U.S. private workforce.“Always, but particularly as we build back fromCOVID-19, small business owners and entrepre-neurs are constantly adapting and evolving basedon their market and customer needs,” said RhettButtle, founder and principal of Public PrivateStrategies.
State Plans To Construct Two 20-Megawatt Solar Energy Projects In Fort Edward
FORT EDWARD —New York state has plans to construct two 20-megawatt solar energy projects in Fort Edward, part of an effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
“As the world economy resets, and as change is a necessity, there is an opportunity to raise our efforts to the next level, and New York should seize this moment,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “We can establish ourselves as the nation’s leader for renewable energy innovation and production. And we will secure the jobs of the future right here at home for New Yorkers.”
The plan includes four components, including identifying large-scale projects that would generate sufficient energy; creating manufacturing facilities needed to construct green infrastructure; increasing the state’s transmission supply so energy created elsewhere can flow to other parts of the state; and expanding education and job training in order to meet the workforce needs associated with green energy.
Noble Gas Solutions Opens A Facility In South Glens Falls, Adding Warehouse Space, Offices
By Christine Graf
Albany-based Noble Gas Solutions is planning to open a third location at 15 Third St. in South Glens Falls.
The wholesale distributor of gasses and welding supplies also has a location in Kingston. Noble Gas was founded in 1940 as Albany Welding Supply Co. and owner J. David Mahoney worked there for 10 years before purchasing the business in 1986.
Approximately 60 percent of the company’s sales are generated from the gas arm of the business, he said. Noble Gas sells medical, specialty, industrial, and consumer gasses as well as gas and cryogenic packaging. Their packaging product line includes cylinders, tanks, manifolds, and liquid cryogenic dewars.
“We started by getting into selling specialty gasses for universities and for laboratories, and it just evolved. We sell so many different gasses. We sell helium to florists, gasses to veterinary clinics and pharmaceuticals. It’s very diverse,” said Mahoney.
Noble Gas also carries a full line of welding, metalworking, soldering, brazing, and fume elimination supplies.
The company sells, rents and repairs welding machines.
Stec: State Must Help Businesses Hurt In Pandemic, Resist Temptation To Raise Taxes
Courtesy Assemblyman Stec
By State Sen. Dan Stec
As the 2021 State Legislative session gets underway in Albany this month, the first order of business must be reestablishing its role as a co-equal branch of government.
Since March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has exercised unprecedented authority to deal with the myriad challenges created by COVID-19. He was granted this authority by the Legislature at a time of great uncertainty and when there was a need to quickly respond to mitigate the spread of the illness and avoid our health care system becoming totally overwhelmed.
Fortunately, we have moved beyond that critical time. Remaining vigilant to prevent the virus from spreading is certainly still very important. But the coronavirus vaccine now offers great hope that we will be able to get back to ‘normal’ in the near future. As we begin a new session of a newly elected Legislature, it seems to me the time is right for lawmakers representing all regions of our state to discontinue the governor’s emergency power and fulfill their critical constitutional role.
We are all well aware of the financial challenges that lie ahead. While revenues for all levels of government are down, the real story is what our businesses, especially small employers and lower-wage workers, have been enduring. Small businesses drive our economy and their recovery must now be our priority.
In Virus-Impacted Year, Winterfest Replaces Winter Carnival On Four February Weekends
A new event, WinterFest, is planned for the four weekends of February, replacing the Lake George Winter Carnival.
The new event, created because of the impact of COVID-19, entices visitors to attend socially distanced, safe outdoor events such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, winter “fat tire” mountain biking and dine in the Lake George area.
Participants will get a wristband, obtainable in advance online, that will serve as the ticket to horse-drawn carriage rides around Lake George and hot cocoa stations.
The website where wristbands will be on sale is www.lakegeorgewinterfest.com.
“WinterFest is the new way to get outside and really enjoy the wide variety of family-oriented socially-distanced recreational opportunities in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks,’’ said Christian Dutcher, who is organizing the event.
Marc Monahan Leads The Adirondack Regional Chamber Of Commerce 2021 Board
Courtesy ARCC
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that Marc Monahan, vice president and regional executive of NBT Bank, will again be chairman of its board of directors in 2021.
He replaced Eric Gilbert in 2020.
ARCC also announced the addition of four new board members for 2021.
“The past year certainly has been a challenge, but I believe we have a strong team at the ARCC and an outstanding group of board volunteers to help us make 2021 another successful year. Thank you to all of our members for their continued support of our 100 percent member funded and focused chamber,” said Monahan.
“As we enter into a new year, I am excited to welcome our newest board members and to show our gratitude to our outgoing members for their dedication to the ARCC.”
ARCC President & CEO Michael Bittel said, “We are blessed to have a board of directors who are all passionate about our region and our communities. Under Chairman Marc Monahan’s leadership, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has continued to focus on our mission of loving and serving our entire community. Our four new board members will carry on their passion and legacy.”
Monahan joined NBT in 2010 as a member of the retail team. He has over 18 years of experience in banking in various roles within the retail and commercial divisions of NBT. Prior to coming to NBT he worked in the Capital Region as a member of the management team in KeyBank’s retail bank. Monahan started his career in the finance industry as a member of Citi Group.