By Paul Post

America is a nation on the move, as nearly 20 people million are expected to relocate this summer. U-Haul’s purchase of former Kmart stores, including one at 308 Dix Ave. in Queensbury, helps ease such transitions by giving customers convenient services from rental vehicles to trailer hitches, storage containers and supplies designed to protect fragile items.

The repurposed former retail store in Queensbury gives new life to the property.

“I’ve seen several (former Kmart stores) that have sat too long,” said Levi Parmerter, U-Haul area district vice president. “You can’t use them and bad things start to happen. People start to break in and steal the copper and HVAC units. It becomes a nuisance you don’t want.”

“So this is a good use of the building for sure,” he said. “There are not a lot of retailers that can come in and fill a 150,000-square-foot building any more. Brick and mortar retail isn’t what it used to be.”

U-Haul bought the 25-acre Queensbury site for $7.1 million and purchased 12 other Kmarts across the U.S. in 2019 for $62 million.

By Christine Graf

Husband and wife Brandon and Keely Whalen of Wilton— whose family opened the Wind-Chill Factory in Ticonderoga in 1996—recently opened Wind-Chill Factory, a seasonal ice cream, food, and miniature golf business at 3 Trieble Ave. in Ballston Spa.  

The flagship location of Wind-Chill Factory was opened in Ticonderoga by Brandon’s father, Bobby Porter. Brandon grew up working at Wind-Chill Factory. He met his future wife while they were classmates in high school. Keely’s parents, John and Roberta Cooper, own Frenchy’s, a roadside food and ice cream business in Crown Point in Essex County. 

“They purchased it when I was two years old, so I literally was born and raised in the industry,” said Keely Whalen of Frenchy’s. “Brandon was also raised in the exact same kind of business. He worked there all through high school and up until he joined the Navy.”

The couple married in 2015 and lived for several years in Connecticut while Brandon was stationed there They relocated to the Capital Region in 2019 after he was reassigned to the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa where he serves as an instructor.

StoredTech has acquired the assets of NOAH IT LLC in North Carolina for an undisclosed sum. 

Mark Shaw, CEO at StoredTech, said the move was made to increase its growing Raleigh, N.C., presence. NOAH IT’s employees joined StoredTech. 

The acquisition is effective immediately. All of the NOAH IT staff are working out of StoredTech’s Raleigh office. 

This acquisition brings more clients to StoredTech’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) platform and, it brings more services to NOAH IT’s base of clients. 

“We are always looking for ways to expand out footprint. Allan and the NOAH IT team certainly does that. We are also excited to offer more comprehensive services to our new clients.” Shaw said.

Allan Polak, founder of NOAH IT, said “this combination brings more depth of support and services to our clients. StoredTech has grown immensely here in Raleigh, and we are excited to be a part of it … “I was extremely impressed with the StoredTech team’s total focus on customer delight.”

As part of the nation’s effort to sustain the microelectronics manufacturing capability necessary for national and economic security, and in support of an executive order entitled America’s Supply Chains, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $117 million agreement to GlobalFoundries. 

GlobalFoundries, headquartered  in Malta,  will transfer its 45 nanometer (nm) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor manufacturing process from its Fab 10 facility in East Fishkill, to its Fab 8 facility in Malta, the defense department announced in a press release.

The effort is a follow-on from an $8 million award issued last year through which GlobalFoundries conducted initial engineering baseline activities for the transfer. 

Federal officials said the agreement will ensure access to 45nm SOI semiconductors critical to Department of Defense strategic systems.