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.
MCW Janitorial Services Opens Glens Falls Office To Better Serve North Country Clients
Courtesy MCW Janitorial
By Jennifer Farnsworth
MCW Janitorial Services has been servicing the Glens Falls area for years, so opening an office in the city seemed like the next logistical step.
Operations Manager Reed Chronis said the new location allows the company to better serve what is already a strong client base. The company cleans businesses all over the Capital Region and North Country areas.
“We have been aggressively pursuing business in the Queensbury and Glens Falls area for some time, and the response has been steady. The new office will give us the opportunity to meet the needs of customers we already have in that area as well as new business,” said Chronis.
The new office is at at 175 Broad St., Suite 188, Glens Falls.
MCW services include commercial janitorial, same-day COVID-19 disinfections, carpet cleaning, maintenance, pressure washing, painting, parking lot maintenance, school consultations, and post-construction clean-up.
Business Report: Vaccines In The Workplace
By Rose Miller
When the news of an FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine was going to become available, I joined many with feelings of joy and hope. I envision a future where we can all live, work and play together again.
Personally, I am tracking vaccine availability closely and I will be seizing the day when I can get a shot. Sign me up. I will be carping a whole lot of diem when this is over.
In the workplace, the expectation was that my staff and the workplaces we support would be equally excited about getting vaccinated. Unfortunately, we are hearing that’s not always the case.
In fact, Dr. McKenna of Albany Medical Center believes that production of the vaccine will greatly improve, and supply will meet or exceed demand in the near future. One of his major concerns was the public’s resistance to getting vaccinated. He and public health officials know for these vaccines to truly turn the tide of the pandemic, there will need to be near universal willingness among Americans to get the shot.
It’s important to understand what’s behind the fear. According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Undefeated, some 70 percent of Black Americans believe that people are treated unfairly based on race or ethnicity when they seek medical care. Examples of malpractice and unauthorized experimentation are far from forgotten by the Black community.
Business Report: You Need More Than Skills
By Michael Cruz
Your new employee is starting Monday. You think, “I hope they work out well.” The worst thing that can happen to you is that you have to start searching all over again. Not, really the worst thing. The real worst thing is that they do not work out—and they stay on your payroll.
This can be avoided. The big mistake we make is to focus on their skill. Can they perform the tasks well? Let’s modify the question to what you should be thinking? Can they perform their tasks well, here? We often interview for skills. Why not, skills are often easier to measure. Yet the key question is whether they have the right soft skills to fit into your company’s culture.
Most people struggle to define ‘soft’ skills. Yet, those traits have more to do with our success than anything else. Does your company focus on getting results? Is it okay to be a free wheeler or do you need to follow specific structure? Do the people you work with give specific direction? Or do you expect others to figure it out? Answering these questions helps you hire better. This allows us to change the way we get to know candidates. Take the time to figure this out.
Developer Clearing Land To Start Virtual Sporting Complex Within Seven Buildings
Courtesy Luxury Box LLC
By Jennifer Farnsworth
A property with open space in Queensbury is being cleared for the construction of a virtual sports facility.
David Brindle of Luxury Box LLC, developer of the project, said the facility will include seven separate buildings located on Route 9 across from the Fun Spot.
Brindle said the zoning approval came through at the end of January and they are now just waiting for final approval on building permits.
Brindle expects the project to be completed by mid-March if all goes well.
The seven buildings will have virtual golf. It will also give customers options for baseball, darts, soccer, hockey, hunting and more. The golf simulators also offer much more than the traditional program, said Brindle.
“The technology with these games is so advanced. We have golf simulators in the area but this goes way beyond what we have seen, with a putting simulator and the ability to play many courses,” he said.
Estimating Costs For Construction Projects Is A Difficult Task During COVID
By Christine Graf
Economists and industry experts predict that the construction industry will continue to be plagued by rising material costs, material shortages and supply chain disruptions throughout 2021.
Thomas Albrecht Sr., owner of Hilltop Construction in Glens Falls, said his residential and commercial construction company, like so many others, has faced issues with material shortages.
“Expectations of delivery are non-existent,” he said. “My biggest challenge is educating our clients that you can have contracts and you can set dates, but we can’t necessary meet them because of the challenges we are faced with. What you could get in 4 weeks max could now be out 8 to 12 weeks. That means our planning has to be much more extensive.”
Hilltop Construction has 30 employees, many of whom have had to quarantine due to COVID exposure. As a result, the company has to absorb additional labor costs.
“The fallout continues as we see employees being exposed and having to quarantine,” he said. “We, by law, have to pay them up to five days. That’s a revolving door that continues and the financial burden continues.”
“The price increases are pretty drastic,” said Sara Turoczy, manager of business development at MLB Construction Services in Malta. “Along with lumber, we are seeing steel pricing skyrocket.”
Work Underway At Warren County Airport Includes The Construction Of New Hangars
By Jill Nagy
There is a $1 million building project planned for the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury, which is the Warren County airport. Eight new hangars will be constructed.
The project will also result in a new building to house snow removal equipment and one replacing an original structure built in the 1940s.
Work is expected to begin in the spring.
Officials are also applying for a grant to upgrade the runway lights to LED lights.
Plank Construction of Schenectady is the general contractor. That project is budgeted at $993,000, of which the state Department of Transportation will pay 90 percent and Warren County will pay the balance.
SBA And Lenders Are Taking More Steps To Improve Paycheck Protection Program
The U.S. Small Business Administration and lenders are taking more strides to improve the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) so that small businesses can access much needed funds to persevere through the pandemic, recover, and build back better.
The administration is working to increase equitable access to under-served small businesses, to assure the integrity of the program, and to promote rapid and efficient distribution of funds, officials said.
By Feb. 10, the SBA had hit a major milestone of approving $104 billion of PPP funds to more than 1.3 million small businesses, according to the agency.
Highlights from this round include:
During COVID Pandemic, Attorneys Face Challenges In Courts And Business Law Cases
Courtesy Meyer, Fuller & Stockwell PLLC
By Susan Elise Campbell
As businesses adjust to the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic, so do the attorneys who advise them.
“There have been a whirlwind of legal issues that we never thought we would have to deal with,” said James T. Towne Jr. of The Towne Law Firm PC, with offices in Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls.
Unique issues about government relief, bankruptcy and foreclosures, contracts, COVID-19 fraud, cybersecurity and much more are on a daunting list of topics attorneys are being challenged to address this past year.
“During the first 120 days we were confronted with a variety of labor and employment inquiries,” said Towne.
Many of these were rooted in the logistics and liabilities of sending non-essential staff home to work and as a condition of employment, he said.
“Managers are accustomed to taking their laptops and working from home, but maybe not the support staff,” he said. “Matters come up about restrictions on the equipment taken offsite, using that equipment for personal matters, and businesses not enforcing obligations in connection with work performed at home.”
Matthew F. Fuller, partner at Meyer, Fuller & Stockwell PLLC in Lake George, said that whether an employer can mandate that staff get vaccinated has “no clear cut answer. If someone gives you a straight answer, don’t listen.” He is addressing the issues of testing and vaccinations for the municipalities he represents.
“There are conflicting directives from the federal government and from the governor’s office,” Towne said. “In New York, different classes of employees need to negotiate their contracts,” he said. “If the municipality’s internal staff is under a collective bargaining agreement we have to go through that agreement very carefully to see what we’re dealing with” as to what can be mandated.