By Paul Post

Unlike the Marines, area builders need a whole lot more than “A Few Good Men.”

A severe nationwide labor shortage is being felt locally, too, as understaffed firms can’t keep up with customer demand.

Several factors have contributed to the labor shortage. First and foremost, many skilled workers have aged out of the industry and there hasn’t been enough emphasis put on showing kids the careers this field has to offer, builders say.

At Glens Falls-based VMJR Companies, laborer, carpenter and mason apprentice jobs start out at $16.98, $19.46 and $23.33 per hour, respectively. The worker can obtain journeyman status within five years, which pays $30.86, $35.40 and $38.69 per hour, respectively, plus supplemental benefits for each position.

“We have a core group of 35 field employees and are having a difficult time hiring skilled masons and carpenters,” president and CEO Victor Macri said. “Plus, for office operations we could use two more project managers and project engineers and another administrative assistant. We’ve been searching for over a year to fill these positions.”

Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Foundation, has donated $75,000 to SUNY Adirondack for the college’s athletics facilities renovation project.

“The Dake Family Foundation and Stewart’s Shops are among the college’s most generous corporate donors and, once again, they have lent their generous support to the college and our community,” said Dr. Kristine D. Duffy, president of SUNY Adirondack. “Their commitment to the communities they serve is unsurpassed and greatly appreciated.”

The donation will go toward replacing the college’s playing fields with a turf surface, part of a plan approved by the college board of trustees in 2019, but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The work, when completed, will help extend the playing season for sports including soccer, baseball, lacrosse and softball, and allow the region to attract tournaments during the off-season, bringing tourists to the region.

The Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau has given its website, lakegeorgeishiring.com, a new look to offer features for both employers looking to post jobs and job seekers. 

There is no cost for employers to post jobs on the website, officials said,which focuses on Warren County job openings specifically.

LakeGeorgeisHiring.com was developed in the summer of 2020 by Mannix Marketing of Glens Falls, with support from the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau, Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce, Warren County Tourism Department, Warren Employment and Training and Behan Communications.

“Recognizing the need to provide a single online location for employers and potential employees to see current opportunities, the LGRCVB accepted the task of continuing this collaborative project as part of its scope of community development,” said Gina Mintzer, Chamber executive director. “To support our partners and employers in their growing hiring needs, we are thrilled to share an updated job portal, which offers the opportunity for employers to create their own account profiles, maintain job listings, and add links to their own contacts and hiring pages.”

Zobel & Co. Kitchens, a kitchen design and custom cabinetry showroom located in the Union Square Building in Glens Falls, announced the addition  of two new product lines, signaling continued growth for the firm in residential  renovation and construction.  

The firm now offers a  line of cabinetry made  especially for outdoor living, along with fully custom and semi-custom cabinetry  lines, the company said.

“In the past, outdoor kitchens were a harder  investment to make because of our short summers,” said Arthur Zobel, owner and  senior designer. “But now many folks are working from home or spending the full  summer at their vacation house so elevating their outdoor space makes great sense.”   

World Awareness Children’s Museum (WACM) in Glens Falls will receive a $5,000 grant to help it increase community engagement in other nearby counties.

 The Museum Association of New York (MANY), in partnership with the state Council on the Arts (NYSCA), awarded funds to 102 grantees to assist New York museums with capacity building. For the World Awareness Children’s Museum funds will be used to increase community engagement in Saratoga, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Albany counties, and to cultivate relationships with new supporters around the Capital Region.

  “We are very excited to continue growing our museum’s impact throughout the Capital Region. WACM strives to be a museum for all. This grant will help us increase our funding so that anyone can experience all WACM has to offer, no matter their financial situation,” said Bethanie Muska Lawrence, executive director of the World Awareness Children’s Museum. 

The grant partnership with NYSCA was developed in direct response to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Partners for Public Good (PPG) study “Market Analysis and Opportunity Assessment of Museum Capacity Building Programs” report published in March 2021.