Glens Falls Business Journal

April Fresh Cleaning Expands Services; Owner Eyes A Queensbury Office In Future

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

April Weygand, owner of April Fresh Cleaning in Saratoga Springs, displays her new van-powered cleaning system that can be used on carpets, upholstery, tile and grout.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

by Andrea Palmer
April Fresh Cleaning celebrated 20 years in business this year by expanding its services into carpet and floor cleaning, as well as mold, water, fire and smoke damage mitigation.
The company serves clients in Saratoga, Queensbury and Latham. The company is also seeking to open an office in Queensbury.
April Fresh Cleaning specializes in commercial janitorial services, commercial and residential floor cleaning and upholstery cleaning.
April Fresh Cleaning recently purchased a new Butler carpet cleaner. The van-powered system allows them to clean carpet, upholstery, tile and grout, and other stone flooring. They recently finished the certification classes for water, mold, fire and smoke remediation.

Freedom Boat Club Plans To Add Hospitality Room To Its Facility On Lake George

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Matt and Rebecca O’Hara, owners of Freedom Boat Club in Lake George, want to construct a private hospitality room inside an existing building at Queen Boat Co., formerly Dunham’s Bay Resort.
Courtesy Freedom Boat Club

By Christine Graf
Matt and Rebecca O’Hara, owners of Freedom Boat Club in Lake George, are seeking final approval to construct a private hospitality room for their members at the Queen Boat Co. (formerly the Dunham’s Bay Boat Co.) their marina on Lake George.
The O’Haras opened their boat club franchise after relocating to the area in 2016. In October of last year, they purchased what was Dunham’s Bay Boat Co. Their proposed hospitality room will be located in an existing building within marina.
Matt O’Hara said the proposed hospitality room would provide members with a place to socialize when they aren’t out on the lake. He also envisions the space being used to conduct trainings and safe-boating classes. Food and alcohol will not be served in the hospitality room.

Former Dango’s Building In South Glens Falls May Be Developed With New Apartments

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

The former Dango’s Dugout in South Glens Falls will be converted to all apartments.

By Rachel Phillips
After over a year of vacancy, the building that was once Dango’s Dugout in South Glens Falls is under new ownership.
The building at 43 Main St. was purchased by James Atherton of Atherton Painting and Renovations. He said he put in an offer in the spring, and it was finally accepted in September. Pending approval from the Village of South Glens Falls, he plans to gut the restaurant and convert the building into apartments.
In addition to the restaurant portion, the building contained nine apartments. Atherton has already gutted and renovated the units, including painting, and adding new carpeting and floors, he said. Each unit has one bedroom and one bathroom.
Atherton also intends to repaint the exterior and fix the sidewalks and blacktop.

Report: Jefferson Project At Lake George Continues Its Efforts To Ensure Water Quality

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

The Jefferson Project at Lake George has published its latest annual report highlighting how its environmental data gathering and analytics have made Lake George “The Smartest Lake in the World” and are providing science-based insights into how best to protect the lake from water quality threats, according to FUND for Lake George officials.
The report can be downloaded at jeffersonproject.rpi.edu or ordered in print form by calling The FUND for Lake George at (518) 668-9700.
The Jefferson Project is a groundbreaking partnership between IBM Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The FUND for Lake George. The Project has deployed more than 500 “smart sensors” in and around the lake to monitor physical, chemical and biological conditions that signal emerging threats and help track the progress of lake protection initiatives.

Homestyle Food Is Featured At XII Sporks, A New Restaurant In Lake George Village

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Some of the staff at XII Sporks, all family members, stand in front of the new Lake George eatery. The restaurant plans to be open year round, every day but Wednesdays.

By Jill Nagy
Homestyle food, made from scratch and priced to accommodate young families, is on the menu at XII Sporks, a new restaurant at 462 Canada St. in Lake George.
“XII” is the Roman numeral 12. It was chosen because there were originally 12 family members involved in the business. Some dropped out, but the name stuck. A spork is an eating utensil that combines the bowl of a spoon with the tines of a fork.
The restaurant opened on Oct. 12, the beginning of a slow season on Lake George, “a good time to open and learn,” according to Misty Feulner, one of the owners.
They plan to be open rear-round, every day but Wednesday.
“It’s our dream,” Feulner said, explaining that, “ever since I was little” she wanted to own and operate a restaurant.

Adirondack Trust, SUNY Empire State Foundation, Give Out 14 Scholarships

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

The SUNY Empire State College Foundation has announced 14 recipients of the 2019 Adirondack Trust Co. Scholarship, totaling $24,900 in awards.
The scholarships aim to expand educational opportunities for students in the greater Capital Region.
This year’s recipients include a disaster recovery specialist, a graphic designer, an aspiring mental health professional, an aspiring counselor, two teachers and one aspiring teacher, a human resource specialist, a restaurant manager, an aspiring photographer and an aspiring museum curator.
Adirondack Trust established the scholarship to provide need-based aid to undergraduate or graduate students who reside in Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Montgomery, Saratoga, Washington, Fulton, Schoharie, Greene or Columbia counties. The endowment is currently valued at more than $530,000.
“Thanks to the generosity of The Adirondack Trust Company, so many SUNY Empire State College students have been able to complete their degrees and, in turn, realize their dreams and achieve their personal, professional and academic goals,” said SUNY Empire President Jim Malatras. “The Adirondack Trust scholarship is just one of so many ways the bank supports the community and I am very grateful for the bank’s long-standing and generous support of our students.”

Advisors: Hold The Course With Retirement Plans, Even If Investment Markets Are Shaky

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Don Tenne, financial planner with Ameriprise Financial Services.
Courtesy Ameriprise Financial Services

By Susan E. Campbell
Whether the forecast for the economy and the investment markets is good, bad, or middle-of-the-road, retirement professionals agree that staying the course is the best course.
“The number one thing for 2020 is, in a word, uncertainty,” said Don Tenne, a financial planner with Ameriprise Financial Services and based in Glens Falls.
“Tariffs, elections, China and other international uncertainties are things that tend to slow down the market even though the economy is doing very well,” said Tenne.
Markets are driven by not only by fundamentals but also by investor psychology, which can be impacted by alarmist media, he said.
“The media says a recession is coming, but we don’t know when,” he said. “Many experts say recession may be one to six years ahead. So we see the stories, and then they go away.”

Business Report: Beware Of Retirement Sprawl

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

David Cumming, senior vice president and financial advisor, Morgan Stanley.

By David L. Cumming
As we move through our career, we often accumulate a number of different retirement accounts: A traditional IRA here, a rollover IRA there, and two or three scattered 401(k) accounts left in the plans of former employers.
As the accounts add up, it can become difficult to get a clear picture of your overall retirement preparedness.
Consolidating your retirement accounts into one central account can help you make sure your retirement assets are invested appropriately for your overall goals, better track the performance of your holdings and, in some cases, discover more investment choices and potentially incur lower fees.
However, consolidating retirement accounts into one account may not be right for everyone. Before taking any action, you should carefully compare your potential options in order to reach an informed decision about what makes the most sense for you.

AARP: Cost Of Drugs Is Rising Dramatically

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Retail prices for 267 brand-name drugs commonly used by older adults surged by an average of 5.8 percent in 2018, more than twice the general inflation rate of 2.4 percent, according to new AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) data released in November.
The annual average cost of therapy for one brand-name drug ballooned to more than $7,200 in 2018, up from nearly $1,900 in 2006, the study said.
“There seems to be no end to these relentless brand-name drug price increases,” said Debra Whitman, executive vice president and chief public policy officer at AARP. “To put this into perspective: If gasoline prices had grown at the same rate as these widely-used brand-name drugs over the past 12 years, gas would cost $8.34 per gallon at the pump today. Imagine how outraged Americans would be if they were forced to pay those kinds of prices.”

Organization Formed To Help Businesses Align With Charities Compatible To Their Mission

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019

Lisa Munter of Knitt LLC helps companies build relationships with nonprofit groups.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Susan E. Campbell
A new internet-based service will soon bring together Capital District businesses with nonprofits whose missions align with a company’s goals for charitable giving.
Called Knitt LLC, founder Lisa Munter believes her organization will provide “a mindful and time efficient way to connect” donors and donor organizations. Its success, and future compensation, will depend on the “knitted” relationships among businesses and nonprofit organizations who did not have a prior relationship, Munter said.
Munter is an avid volunteer and wife of a businessman whose company, Munter Enterprises, is “inundated with requests for donations.”
“Companies may have a passion for certain causes but also may be open to others,” she said. “Knitt is a platform for not only connecting leads but also tracking giving.”