By Jill Nagy

The owners of Freedom Boat Club on Lake George have started a $1.24 million overhaul of the marina.

Matt O’Hara, one of the owners, said renovations will include a rooftop deck, an elevator, a new building facade and a members’ lounge.

His plans for the marina itself focus on growing the service department. He is also upgrading the wastewater system.

Phinney Design Group of Saratoga Springs did the design work for the project and BBL Construction Services of Albany is supervising the work. O’Hara expects the project to be completed by next fall.

It is part of a myriad of activities on Lake George regarding marinas.

The estate of John Salvador Jr. has sold Dunham’s Bay Boat & Beach Club on the southeast part of the lake for approximately $1.1 million, according to deeds that were filed in March in Warren County.

Two Florida holding companies managed by wealth management adviser Michael Chrys purchased the 9.2-acre marina on Lake George. The purchases were made under the names Mirada 7 LLC and Garner Holdings II LLC, according to the deeds.

by Andrea Harwood Palmer

J. Reid Menswear has moved from its Aviation Mall location to Downtown Glens Falls at 166 Glen Street.

The menswear store, formally known as Jonathan Reid, has rebranded with a new name along with its new location. The store will continue to provide menswear and tuxedo rentals, suits, jackets, shirts, ties, shoes and tailoring services. The store has ancillary items and accessories as well.

“I wanted to return J. Reid Menswear to its original location in Hometown USA,” said owner Jeffrey Ives. “With all the negatives that COVID-19  has brought, I have needed the support of everyone associated with the business community of downtown Glens Falls.”

J. Reid Menswear originally had an office on Glen Street, when former owner Jonathon Segan ran the company, until the mid 2000s. The store has been in operation for 53 years.

It will continue to provide menswear and tuxedo rentals, as it did at its Aviation Road location.

“Getting back to normal is right around the corner with the return to weddings, proms and in-person work. We will be there for all of it with the level of service the community has come to expect from J. Reid,” said Ives.

Most high schools are holding in-person proms this year, with the prom season dominating May and June.

Valiant Search, a search firm that focuses on recruiting for law firms, is now open.

Sean Macari, an experienced recruiter, said he saw an opportunity when many search firms dramatically scaled down or closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He saw the need to help  attorneys, support staff, and law firms get back on their feet as the pandemic starts to subside.

There was also an absence of legal-focused recruiting firms in upstate New York, he said. That inspired him to launch his own company, based in Albany.

“Valiant Search is currently serving law firms in all counties in New York state, however, being based in the Capital Region, we have a particular familiarity and focus on firms in Saratoga and Warren counties,” he said.

“In the wake of COVID, many search firms went through dramatic changes as they shut down or shifted their focus exclusively to bigger firms in the Manhattan area. With this, I saw an opportunity to help those firms in Upstate New York (including those in the Saratoga/Washington/Warren counties area) get back on their feet. As an experienced recruiter myself, I was inspired to start my own company during the pandemic to make sure that these Upstate businesses could have someone to help support them as they look to reopen amidst COVID.”

He said Valiant is  the only search firm that specializes in the legal industry north of New York City, “so we have a much greater presence in these upstate counties—like Saratoga and Warren—than others that focus primarily on New York City. “

“Being from the area and having been through COVID myself, I know the struggle upstate firms have to go through when trying to find employees through these New York City-focused recruiting agencies. A search group focusing north of New York City allows for people looking for a change or to get back to work the option to find something closer and quicker than going through New York City-based groups.”

By Jill Nagy

KPM Restoration, a company that cleans up and repairs premises after fires, floods and other disasters, moved in January to a new facility in Malta.

It consists of a large warehouse and 12 offices. It replaces a facility at 211 Maple St. in Saratoga Springs.

The company is still in the process of moving out of the Saratoga Springs location, according to business owner Jamie Kennedy. Only six years old, KPM outgrew its former quarters, he said.

The company is on-call 24 hours a day and, all 13 of its trucks are kept busy, said Kennedy. The company repairs damages from water pipe bursts, fixes other water damage, does mold  remediation and commercial cleaning .

A large part of the business these days involves COVID-19 cases. Kennedy said the company has done more than 200 COVID cleanups, which include cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. As a community service, they have done several free clean-ups for schools and firehouses.

Kennedy came to the area from Milbrook, a downstate town near Poughkeepsie, where he had three businesses, a property management company (Kennedy Property Management), a landscaping service and a tree service. He sold them all and moved north.

“I want to spend more time with my family and children,” he said. He and wife, Rachel, have three children.