Glens Falls Business Journal

Go-For Fitness In South Glens Falls Expands Its Classes, ServicesAnd Staff Certifications

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Go-For Fitness in South Glens Falls has eight instructors and teaches approximately 50 group exercise classes a week. It recently expanded classes and services.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Kathy Scherer, owner of Go-For Fitness in South Glens Falls, is expanding classes and services for the new year.
The fitness center has eight instructors and teaches around 50 group exercise classes a week.
“One misconception out there is that we are a ladies gym. We are not just a ladies gym. We have many male members and would like to attract more. We’d really like to attract more male instructors too,” said Scherer. “It’s not just for women. Everyone is welcome.”
The staff recently went through Barre certification through Barre Above.
“It’s a fusion of ballet, pilates, body weight strength training and leg work, while using the barre for balance. It’s a different take on group exercise. We’re using body weight, with a focus on balance and strength. It has a wide appeal. Anyone can do it,” said Scherer.

ADK CrossFit In Glens Falls Opens A New Facility Above Its Downtown Location

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Israel Del Toro, the owner of the ADK CrossFit, has opened a second gym, ADK Fit, a 24-hour fitness facility located above ADK CrossFit at 80 Glen St., Glens Falls.

ADK CrossFit In Glens Falls Opens A New Facility Above Its Downtown Location
by Andrea Harwood Palmer
Israel Del Toro has opened his second gym in the heart of downtown Glens Falls.
ADK Fit is a 24-hour fitness facility located above Del Toro’s ADK CrossFit gym.
The expansive space is 6,000 square feet, located at 80 Glen St., between NBT Bank and J.E. Sawyer & Co.
ADK CrossFit has been open just under eight years, and moved to its downtown Glens Falls location about a year ago.
“The best part about CrossFit is it’s a nice big community,” said Del Toro. “Everybody knows everybody. Everybody’s very friendly with each other. There’s no drama or issues. Nobody judges anyone, nobody cares what anyone can or can’t do.”

WestWind Ag Farm In Moreau Makes Plans To Build, Operate Craft Brewery, Taproom

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

This old farm building on the WestWind Ag property could become a craft brewery.

By Christine Graf
The owners of the WestWind Ag are seeking approval to open Z-Farm Brewery, a craft brewery and taproom, on their 308-acre farm on Old West Road in Moreau.
The brewery would be located in an existing building on the property that would undergo extensive renovation.
According to WestWind Ag’s Rachel McDermott, “The plan is to take some areas of the farm that we can’t put into crops and make some income on that area of the farm so that we can preserve it.”
In 2016, McDermott left her career as an investment banker in New York City to join the family business. She graduated from Cornell University in 2008 with a degree in applied economics and management.
“I was raised on the farm,” she said. “I always had a desire to be closer to my roots.”
McDermott’s father, James Czub, and uncle, Robert Czub, established WestWind Ag in 1983. The business has grown steadily over the years, and the brothers now farm more than 1,500 acres of land and have six employees. The majority of their 1,500-plus acres of farmland is leased. The Moreau property, a former dairy farm, was purchased in 2016.

Etchings, Photography, Painting Make Up The Hyde Collection’s Exhibits In 2020

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

This photo is part of the J.S. Wooley photography exhibit that will start in June at The Hyde Museum. It is a shot taken from the former Fort William Henry Hotel.
Courtesy The Hyde

The Hyde Collection has announced its exhibition lineup for 2020 that includes a diverse schedule celebrating tradition and innovation in equal measure.
The schedule includes the world’s first modern artist and a trend-setting African American printmaker, as well as paintings that capture a historic period in a nation’s evolution.
“Francisco Goya: The Caprichos Etchings and Aquatints” runs through Sunday, April 26.
Goya (1746–1828) used the privilege provided him as portraitist of the monarchy and aristocracy to create a series of etchings critiquing Spanish life at the end of the eighteenth century. Using allegory, he introduced a world of witches, monsters, and fantastical creatures that symbolize what he believed to be a society of disillusion and deceit.

New Owner Takes Over At Molly Malone’s Irish Gift Shop On Canada Street, Lake George

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020

Molly Malone’s Irish Gifts at 295 Canada St. in Lake George is now owned by Robin McDonough, who has owned a similar Irish gift store in Troy for almost 20 years.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Molly Malone’s Irish Gifts at 295 Canada St. in Lake George is under new ownership.
Owner Robin McDonough has owned an Irish gift store in Troy, The Counties of Ireland, for almost 20 years.
“My family is Irish and I’d travelled back and forth to Ireland to vacation and to purchase different gift lines to bring home,” said McDonough. “Most are small cottage, craft industry vendors who may not have a retailer in the United States. I told myself I was going to open an Irish store, and six months later, in Troy, I did. Twenty years later, I’m still here.”
Previous owner Bill Manion reached out to McDonough when he began planning his retirement. Manion and McDonough knew of each other through networking, trade shows and a sharing of mutual customers.

Construction Started On Apartment Complex That Will Produce 73 Glens Falls Apartments

December 12, 2019December 23, 2019

Construction is underway on Regan Development Corp.’s Broad Street Commons, a four-story mixed-use complex located on a four-acre site on Broad Street in Glens Falls. Courtesy Regan Development Corp

By Christine Graf
Construction is underway on Regan Development Corp.’s Broad Street Commons, a four-story mixed-use complex located on a four-acre site on Broad Street in Glens Falls.
The $19.2 million complex will contain 73 affordable housing apartments and 6,300 square feet of retail space. U.W. Marx of Troy is the general contractor for the project and their crews will work through the winter.
Albany-based Regan Development Corp. has developed more than $384 million worth of real estate in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The company’s area of expertise includes market rate housing, affordable rental apartments, and special needs and active adult development.

West Mountain Opens 2019 Season With Additions, Plans More Changes In Future

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

With 31 trails and five lifts, skiers and riders of all abilities come to West Mountain. Improvements include a new “Apex” triple chairlift on the Northwest side and 15 tower snow guns.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

West Mountain ski center off of Northway Exit 18 has sprung into a new season with renovations and additions to offer skiers new options.
New chairlifts, expanded terrain, 100 percent snowmaking capabilities, learn-to-lessons, after-school programs, tubing, night skiing and an up-and-coming alpine racing program are all part of West Mountain, where Spencer Montgomery, co-owner and managing member, has developed a place for family fun.
With 31 trails and five lifts, skiers and riders of all abilities come to West Mountain. Improvements include a new “Apex” triple chairlift on the Northwest side, 15 tower snow guns that round out the completion of the snowmaking capabilities, and a five-acre Tree-Top Aerial Adventure Park.
In addition to the updates on the mountain, a brand new West Express Cafe will be open on the first floor of the main lodge this season offering more healthy food options. Skiers and riders also have the option of experiencing the mountain under the lights with night skiing.

Valmet Factory In Hudson Falls To Close Next Year; EDC Ready To Help Displaced Workers

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Valmet is proceeding with plans for a phased closure of foundry, machine shop and assembly operations at its production center in Hudson Falls.
The first phased closure will begin in March and continue until final customer orders are fulfilled in summer 2020.
Approximately 15 employees will transfer to a new product office in nearby Glens Falls, to continue to serve customers in North America for the dryer product line and after-sales.
The company said a total of 40 positions will end as a result of the closure.
“It’s disappointing,” said Ed Bartholomew, president and CEO of EDC Warren County. “But these decisions are made at a much higher level than Hudson Falls.”

Paul Dowen Will Receive The Juckett Award At ARCC Annual Dinner Event In March

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Paul L. Dowen, CPA and managing partner of Whittemore, Dowen and Ricciardelli LLP.
Courtesy Whittemore, Dowen and Ricciardelli LLP

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that the 31st annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award will be presented to Paul L. Dowen, CPA and managing partner of Whittemore, Dowen and Ricciardelli LLP in Queensbury.
The award will be presented at the ARCC annual dinner on Friday, March 6, at the Sagamore Resort, 110 Sagamore Road, Bolton Landing.
A cocktail hour runs 6-7 p.m., followed by dinner and a program 7-11 p.m.
Dowen grew up in Saratoga Springs and made his way up to the Glens Falls region in 1976, attending Adirondack Community College (now SUNY Adirondack). Upon his graduation from Castleton State College (now Castleton University) in 1980, he returned to Glens Falls and started his accounting career with the CPA firm of Silverstein and Loftus.
Dowen started his own firm in 1987 and has been in partnership with Phillip Whittemore, as well as other partners, since 1994. His long-standing partnership with Phillip Whittemore merged with Edwards, Williams, McManus & Ricciardelli to form Whittemore, Dowen & Ricciardelli in April of 2006.

Personnel Briefs

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Dana Drosdick recently joined Mannix Marketing, Inc. as a digital advertising project manager.
In her new role, she will assist the director of sales with contract processing, giveaway management, display advertising coordination, trade and sponsorship, and any other necessary projects.
Drosdick began her career at Mannix three summers ago as an intern, and she has been coming back ever since. A recent college graduate from Calvin University, she previously interned with Grandville Calvin Christian Schools, where she managed website updates, developed a consistent social media calendar, designed promotional materials, and created fundraising campaigns.
She also worked as Calvin University’s social media manager, where she managed a team of student employees and the University’s brand across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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The Double H Ranch announced the appointment of three new members of its board of directors, all local business people.
Joining the board are Russell Teplitzky, general manager of DeCrescente Distributing Co. in Mechanicville; Sheri Lyons of AYCO in Saratoga Springs and Collen Carter, chief marketing officer at Fingerpaint in Saratoga Springs.
Teplitzky earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Stockton State College. With 32 years of industry experience, he has played a key role in DeCrescente’s overall sales, strategic growth and engaging corporate culture.