Glens Falls Business Journal

Outlook 2021 – Gina Mintzer

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Gina Mintzer, executive director, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

by gina mintzer
The Lake George regional business community has endured the pandemic through tremendous collaboration, innovation and responsible outreach to neighbors, colleagues, clients, visitors, and the communities served throughout the region. Leveraging business, community, industry, and research partnerships has been key to the success of all our efforts.
The pivot came quickly for the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce as we rapidly abandoned traditional outward-facing sales and marketing efforts in those first few days. Lightning fast, we turned inward, racing to aid our local business community, turning our considerable expertise in marketing to communicating real-time information to those we serve.
By virtue of our skill in social media and close relationships with elected officials, industry and community partners, clients, and colleagues, we were able to help each survive based on needs, from development of safety best practices to navigating state and federal relief funds, to event postponement and cancellation. Throughout the pandemic and moving forward, safe, and responsible visitation, adhering to county, state and national recommendations has been and will continue to be, the overarching message and mission internally and externally.

The Chazen Companies Based In Queensbury Is Purchased By Rochester Consulting Group

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

LaBella Associates of Rochester has purchased The Chazen Companies, a multidisciplinary consulting firm that has an office in Glens Falls.
Its headquarters is in Poughkeepsie. The acquisition takes effect Jan. 1, according to LaBella Associates.
The deal furthers LaBella’s growing presence in the Capital Region and extends its reach north to Glens Falls and the Adirondack region, and south to the Hudson Valley and New York City metro regions. Additionally, Chazen’s established offices in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tenn., will complement LaBella’s teams in the Southeast, officials said.
Officials said existing clientele of both Chazen and LaBella will benefit from enhanced serviceability and an expanded depth of resources. All of Chazen’s current employees—across offices in Poughkeepsie, Glens Falls, Troy, White Plains, Nashville, Chattanooga and Portland—are expected to remain with the company, which will operate as Chazen, a LaBella company, through 2021.
A Portland, Ore., office will mark LaBella’s first West Coast presence.

Grants, Donations Help Fund $1.8 Million Transformation Of Park In Hudson Falls

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

The old Derby Park in Hudson Falls is being re-done and expanded. The rendering above shows how the park, renamed Moran Derby Park, will look when it opens later this year.
Courtesy Courtesy Chazen Companies

The old basketball nets have come down at Derby Park — the first sign of the once immensely-popular park’s $1.8 million transformation into a newly revitalized community athletic complex and festival space.
When the next ball swishes through the net, it will be part of the grand opening ceremony for the new Moran Derby Park, renamed in recognition of the $500,000 donation from longtime local businessmen and philanthropists, brothers Brien and Mike Moran, which kicked off project fundraising in June 2019.
All that’s needed now is to raise the final $400,000 — a task the Derby Park Revitalization Committee is tackling in earnest this holiday season with a goal of opening the new facility in the fall of 2021.
“This park will belong to the families of our community,” said Mike Moran, “and Brien and I are sure we’re going to see a lot of old friends step up to help — people with lifelong ties to Derby, as well as many of our customers from over the years. We are looking forward to seeing their names join ours in being a part of this project.”

With The Sudden Arise Of Pandemic, Use Of Telemedicine Equipment Sees Huge Rise

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Glens Falls Hospital primary care physician Dr. Matt Pender communicates with a patient who is off site. Use of telemedicine was a future trend, which skyrocketed because of the pandemic.
Courtesy Glens Falls Hospital

By Christine Graf
According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual.
At Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a result, administrators had to scramble to get a system in place.
“This was all new to all of us,” said Patti Hammond, vice president for physician practice management. “One of the reasons was that the insurance companies including Medicare were not paying for virtual visits as though it was an in-person visit. Because of COVID, there were some emergency approvals, and the insurance companies said they would pay for that visit just as though the patient was in your office setting.”
In a matter of 48 hours, Glens Falls Hospital had a telemedicine system up and running. The hospital uses the Doxy.me platform and pays a monthly fee for each provider who uses the tool.
“Because we are a health care organization, we had to have a system that was HIPPA compliant. You can’t just do a Zoom call,” said Hammond.
Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, a group of more than 250 providers practicing out of 20-plus locations, implemented a telemedicine platform in the spring of 2019.

Business Report: Develop A Mindset For Health Wellness Success

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Maria Savino of Simple Steps Health Coaching.

By Maria Savino
Tis’ the season for health and wellness resolutions. While there is no shortage of diet plans and exercise regimes to follow in a New Year, I believe the most important aspect to achieve any health goal is the mindset you have going into it.
Many wellness resolutions are created from a place of lack and restriction.
For example: “I am going to cut out processed foods,” “I’m going to give up soda” or “I am going to stop sitting all day.”
Although these goals have positive intentions, the mindset behind them is not setting anyone up for success.
As a health coach, I instruct clients to set wellness goals from the mindset of positivity and addition, rather than restriction and subtraction. This mindset shift is a key component of their long term success for two reasons.
The first reason pertains to how we are naturally wired. As human beings, it never feels good when things are taken away or restricted, especially if those things have given you a sense of comfort or happiness in the past. For example, overeating can be a form of comfort, binge watching hours of television can provide stress relief, or grabbing that afternoon chocolate bar can promote a sense of joy during an otherwise dull or stressful day.

Air Pro Solutions Sells, Installs, Services Air Filters To Businesses Throughout The Region

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Patrick Schmidt is vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems. They have clients in Saratoga, Glens Falls and beyond.
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

By Jill Nagy
“We’re breathing in a lot of stuff in the air that we cannot see,” said Patrick Schmidt, vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems.
When he and other member of his sales staff visit a potential customer, they bring along an air quality meter that can measure that “stuff in the air” and then show it disappearing as one of the company’s Air Box filters goes to work.
Air Pro, located at 229 Washington St. in Saratoga Springs, services an area including Saratoga and Albany counties, the Glens Falls area and the North Country. They are independent dealers for Air Box units manufactured in the Carolinas. Currently, the company employs three sales people and two service people.

Vaccine Distribution In North County Began With Focus On Health Care Workers

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Stephanie Kelly, a lab lead, microbiology, staffer at Glens Falls Hospital gets the COVID-19 vaccine. New York state began with vaccines for frontline workers and will work its way to others.
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

Glens Falls Hospital received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas and began vaccinating employees based on the CDC and state Department of Health guidelines.
The first person to receive the vaccine at the hospital was Stephanie Kelly, lab lead, microbiology.
“It was great, I did not feel a thing, less than what I feel with the flu shot usually,” she said. “I would recommend everyone getting this vaccination. It is important. We are so lucky and I am happy to have it.”
Some of the doses received were earmarked for EMS and other first responders. The hospital worked directly with these first responder teams to get members vaccinated.

Rosetti Properties To Build Mixed-Use Project With 142 Apartments Near SUNY Adirondack

December 11, 2020December 14, 2020

This is a rendering of a three-story mixed-used building that will be constructed in Queensbury by Rosetti Properties. It will have two commercial spaces in addition to apartments.
Courtesy BBL Construction

By R.J. DeLuke
Rosetti Properties, an Albany-based residential and commercial property company, is planning to build a mixed-use project at Bay and Blind Rock Road in Queensbury.
It will consist of mostly apartments in a series of buildings, the largest of which will also have a pair of commercial spaces. It is across the road from the SUNY Adirondack campus.
Through a real estate holding company Bay Road Development LLC, Rosetti paid $2.15 million to purchase property.
Jacqueline Rosetti-Falvey, Rosetti Properties president, said the company is developing 142 apartments. The project will be called Fowler Square.

COVID-19 Causes Adirondack Thunder Team To Opt Out Of The ECHL Season

December 11, 2020December 14, 2020

Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls will be dark next year on nights normally reserved for the Adirondack Thunder hockey team as COVID-19 causes the team to opt out of the new season.

The Adirondack Thunder hockey team, the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils that plays its games at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, is opting out of the 2020-21 season.
The Thunder joined the rest of the North Division in the decision to not play.
The Adirondack Hockey Coalition LLC and Adirondack Civic Center Coalition said in a statement that the Adirondack Thunder will not be able to participate in the 2020-21 ECHL season “due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s guidelines on permitting no fans inside the arena.
“We were hopeful that government restrictions would ease up as we approached the time we needed to declare our formal intentions for the season. Unfortunately, we are unable to have any fans in attendance for the foreseeable future and cannot sustain a season without fans,” officials said.
The North Division of the ECHL is comprised of six teams including Adirondack, Worcester, Maine, Reading, Brampton, and Newfoundland.
“We knew this season would be a challenge regardless of any state restrictions on fans in the arena,” officials said. “We had worked on numerous contingency plans to socially distance fans and to ensure a clean, safe environment, and to fully abide by all state-imposed guidelines. We were ready to play at a 50 percent capacity, knowing it would be difficult to operate at that capacity.

As COVID And Online Shopping Hurt Stores, Malls Shift Strategies To Attract Business

December 11, 2020December 14, 2020

Sammy Foda owns Two Strains, a CBD store and one of the small shops at Aviation Mall.

By Christine Graf
As more retail stores are forced to close due to the rise of online shopping, malls are being forced to reinvent themselves in order to survive. They are adding attractions and businesses that traditionally wouldn’t be located in malls.
Pyramid Management Group’s Aviation Mall in Queensbury is evolving to meet the changing landscape of the retail marketplace. In June, they were granted a zoning change that allows the company to build an apartment complex connected to the mall by two short paths. The project has been temporarily halted due to COVID-19.
Aviation Mall general manager James Griffith said COVID-19 has also impacted other negotiations that were in the works. Retailers are hesitant to make any decisions until the pandemic has ended.
“We were working on quite a few things, then COVID happened. COVID definitely slowed down some of the momentum we had with some of these national tenants. We’re in a holding pattern,” said Griffith.
He noted the mall isn’t just going after retail tenants anymore. The mall is open to uses that typically wouldn’t be in a traditional shopping center.
“One use that has been great this year that is an entertainment use is Adirondack Zombie Hunters,” he said. They were in downtown Lake George and came here about a year ago. They are just knocking it out of the park.”
Adirondack Zombie Hunters occupies a 3,000-square-foot space. In addition to selling survival and military surplus merchandise, the store features two laser-based shooting range simulators.