Glens Falls Business Journal

‘Argyle Cheese Farmer’ Opens Storefront In Hudson Falls, Selling A Variety Of Products

May 14, 2020

The Argyle Cheese Farmer owners David and Marge Randles opened this spot on Burgoyne Avenue in Hudson Falls, selling cheese, yogurt, doughnuts, bread and more.
Andrea Harwood Palmer

By Andrea Harwood Palmer

Argyle Cheese Farmer, the cheese manufacturing business on the farm of David and Marge Randles, has opened a storefront location at 2358 Burgoyne Ave. in Hudson Falls.

The Randles cheese farm location in Argyle is on a 225-acre family farmstead dating back to the 1860s. The storefront in Hudson Falls gives the owners another outlet where people can find and purchase their popular products.

Their products can be found in many area stores and they also appear at farmers market events in the region.

The storefront held its grand soft opening at the end of April. In addition to cheese, milk and yogurt products, homemade doughnuts, strudels, buttermilk rolls, fresh bread, coffee and small gifts such as branded travel mugs and tea cups are available for purchase.

People Can Use NYS Labor App For Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Claims

May 14, 2020

The state Department of Labor has launched an application for New Yorkers to apply for traditional unemployment insurance or the new COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Officials said the one-stop-shop for unemployment benefits will connect people with the benefits they deserve faster, without requiring them to call the Department of Labor.

Due to cumbersome federal guidelines, New Yorkers were required to apply for regular unemployment insurance and be rejected before applying for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. With the new app, New Yorkers can simply fill out one form to get the correct benefits.

The DOL has also deployed over 3,100 representatives dedicated to answering unemployment benefit questions, seven days a week. This is up from 400 who previously manned the DOL call center prior to the pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 crisis began, DOL has paid approximately $2.2 billion in unemployment insurance benefits to 1.1 million New Yorkers, officials said.

Adirondack Wine & Food Festival In Lake George Is Postponed Until September

May 14, 2020

The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival has been rescheduled for Sept. 26-27.

In light of current social distancing guidelines revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, Adirondack Festivals LLC has rescheduled the 6th Annual Adirondack Wine & Food Festival to the weekend of Sept. 26-27.

The festival is normally held the last weekend in June. The decision to reschedule was made to help protect the health and safety of festival attendees and vendors, while providing an alternative date in 2020 with favorable weather, said Sasha Pardy, owner of Adirondack Festivals LLC.

“Nothing is more important than the well-being of our attendees and vendors,” said. “But we remain hopeful that come September, we are able to host our festival barring any federal, state or local regulations that would prohibit it. We are treating this pandemic very seriously and we will do everything we can to make our event as safe as possible for everyone in attendance.”

Business Report: Post-COVID-19 Return To Work Plan

May 14, 2020

Dorothy Rogers-Bullis is owner and president of drb Business Interiors in Saratoga Springs.

By Dorothy Rogers-Bullis

As New York state begins to look toward a post-COVID-19 reopening strategy, many businesses, organizations, and schools are trying to reinvent or re-imagine how they will safely operate. And it won’t be business as usual for most.

Each individual organization will need a thoughtful and highly customized approach, taking into account their business objectives, their space, and their employees’ work styles, while also creating appropriate social distance.

Here are some of our top tips for organizations as they explore their reopening options.

Create a committee. It’s going to take buy-in from numerous people in order to approve and implement a workable reopening plan. Your return-to-work steering committee should include leaders from HR, communications, and facilities, plus employee representatives. You’ll need their help with brainstorming ideas and managing expectations, as well as modeling positive behaviors.

Communicate. Input from employees is important, but it’s also crucial to keep people informed about what you are doing to ensure their safety. Keeping the lines of communication open is so important. If you are honest and upfront with staff and customers, encouraging people to ask questions and share their concerns, you will be able to gain their trust much faster.

Business Report: Got Value?

May 14, 2020May 14, 2020

Michael Cruz, president of Lighthouse Advisors LLC in Queensbury.

By Michael Cruz

As we get ready to re-emerge, it is important for you to re-assess your business. The entrepreneur’s mindset is to set to succeed. As the world throws you obstacles, you always find ways to overcome them.

Well, we have been thrown a big obstacle. What will you do? If you have not already, reach out to your best customers. Check in. See how they are doing. Even if they are shut down, this will be appreciated.

This will also help with your relationship when everyone is ready to fully engage. It is important to re-examine all aspects of your business. What you were doing before COVID-19 is not necessarily what you should do next. Examine your business plan. I often say that a plan is like a road map.

The only time you don’t need a map is when you are going where you have already been. Or – when you don’t care where you are going. Things are not going to be the same for quite a while. Your customers are having the same challenges you are. Everyone will be a little more cautious as to where they spend their money.

Albany Med Is Among First Hospitals To Use Plasma, Experimentally, To Treat Patients

May 14, 2020

Albany Med is among the first hospitals in the country to obtain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use convalescent blood plasma therapy to experimentally treat critically ill patients who are infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Convalescent plasma therapy—or plasma from a survivor of an infectious disease—was the same treatment used during the 1918 flu pandemic.

When fighting illness, the body produces antibodies—proteins that counteract a pathogen. Antibodies remain in plasma for weeks or months after recovery. The antibodies in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 attack the virus and can potentially be useful as a treatment for the virus, Albany Med officials said.

Albany Med’s first plasma donation was collected from an employee who has fully recovered from COVID-19, officials said. It has been administered to a critically ill patient at Albany Med admitted with COVID-19.

Hudson Headwaters Renovated Women’s Center Has More Comprehensive Services

May 14, 2020

A staffer works at the newly renovated Women’s Center in Glens Falls.
Courtesy Hudson Headwaters Health Network

By Susan E. Campbell

Women’s Health, part of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network, reopened its doors on April 6 following months of interior renovation.

The changes make the center at 90 South St. in Glens Falls “an optimal experience” with more comprehensive services for women and their families, according to practice leader Sally Howard.

“We expanded up and down,” said Howard, who has been with the practice for three years. “The physical expansion of the facility creates an environment where patients and providers feel they will get the best care.”

Hudson Headwaters Health Network has centers from Champlain down to Moreau and west to North Creek. The recently re-named Women’s Health became a part of the network in 2013, said Dr. Ted Denious, who co-leads it with Dr. Danielle Goertzen.

Stewart’s Shops Offers Funds To Help Nonprofit Groups During The Current Crisis

May 14, 2020

Stewart’s Shops, which has a longstanding history of giving back to nonprofits in local communities, has started a fund to help.

“During these difficult times, the need is even more prevalent” to help nonprofits, a company news release said. “The coronavirus virus has impacted different groups in different ways.

Stewart’s is encouraging nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 to reach out for additional help for sustainability. Grants will be given on a case by case scenario as they come in. There is no deadline for submission.

As of April 30, the company reported nearly $200,000 in grants had been awarded.

With an increased demand on services, many nonprofits are experiencing strains on budget, staffing and resources. “Whether you are a food pantry feeding families in need or a concert venue/theater uncertain about the future with ticket sales on hold for an indefinite time; there is no doubt that these current circumstances are difficult for everyone,” the company said.

COVID-19 Issues Cause Slowdown In Sales At Medical Device Maker AngioDynamics

May 14, 2020

In the three months prior to the pandemic, AngioDynamics reported sales of $69.8 million, but like many corporations, COVID-19 has had an adverse effect on business.

By Christine Graf

Medical device manufacturer AngioDynamics is experiencing a decline in sales as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the three months prior to the pandemic, the company reported sales of $69.8 million. This represented a 6.5 percent increase compared to the prior-year quarter, according to the company. The growth was in all three of its business units—oncology, vascular interventions and therapies, and vascular access.

Officials said sales for medical device manufacturers began to plummet after hospitals were forced to postpone non-essential surgeries—surgeries that are able to be delayed without placing undue risk to the current or future health of a patient. These surgeries typically account for 40 to 50 percent of revenue at U.S. hospital.

“Because our customers are healthcare providers, many of the cases we support have been reclassified as elective,” said AngioDynamics communications director Saleem Cheeks.

Hudson Headwaters Finds Telehealth Network A Big Help During Pandemic

May 14, 2020

If anything good comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth will fall into that category, Hudson Headwaters Health Network Chief Medical Informatics Officer Dr. Kevin Gallagher said.

“I think this is an exciting time in health care and a really great opportunity for us to redesign our care delivery,” he said in an interview about the organization’s telehealth program, which expanded rapidly to accommodate COVID-19 concerns and social distancing guidelines.

“I think we’re just at the tip of the iceberg with how we can get creative with this.”

Hudson Headwaters Community Relations Manager Jane Hooper said the network was planning to introduce telehealth this year over a number of months, but the pandemic dramatically upped that timeline.

Gallagher joined Hudson Headwaters March 2, and just days later telehealth became the main focus of his work as the organization had to start addressing how to minimize COVID-19 exposure for patients and providers.