By Jill Nagy

Today’s offices often combine open areas with private conference space, may be furnished more like a living room or cafe than a traditional office, and allow for people to work either sitting or standing up, according to two Saratoga office designers, Lisa Boyle of the Boyle Group and Dorothy Rogers-Bullis of drb Office Interiors.

Boyle sees a trend toward “well-certified buildings,” similar to LEED-certified but focused on the health needs of the people inside the building.

“It’s a huge trend,” she said.

It may include ergonomically designed chairs, stand-up desks, task lighting that focuses on the work surface, locally controlled heating and cooling, and a lot of greenery. She noted that millenials, who now constitute a third of the workforce, are very concerned about their health and well-being.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

For small business  owners, navigating through all of the IT options available can seem overwhelming.

Among them is the use of AI, or artificial intelligence, which can provide countless benefits to a business The trick is learning how pick and choose what best meets  company’s needs.

According to Dawn LeGere, president and co-owner with her husband, Carl LeGere, of Empiretech, which has an office in Queensbury, more and more apps and platforms that harness the abilities of AI will, and have, become available for all types of small businesses to use.

LeGere said people are becoming accustomed to using apps like Siri and Alexa in their personal lives, becoming more comfortable in adopting and utilizing AI. She said businesses should continue to look for apps that track consumer behavior, “bots” that provide automatic online customer communication and feedback and AI systems that streamline and enhance HR procedures.

Many more types of AI enterprise level technologies will continue to become available and affordable for small businesses.

By Susan E. Campbell

A new book by local business advisor Michael Cruz is aimed at helping managers at all levels acquire the skills to employ the best people and retain them longer.

“Hire The People You Want (And The Questions You Must Ask To Get Them)” aggregates the insights and tips Cruz has acquired helping clients of his consulting firm, Lighthouse Advisors LLC out of Queensbury, to manage their rapid growth, for which building infrastructure, support and an executive team are key components.

“Most people don’t have the skills to hire the best candidates and no one wants to take the time to learn,” said Cruz.

Before founding his firm in 1999, Cruz ran marketing departments in the corporate sector and honed his skills as a communicator.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

IT provider StoredTech has again been recognized by Inc. magazine’s as one of the fast-growing companies in America.

The company was added to Inc.’s top 5000 list for 2018, something StoredTech owner Mark Shaw said is due to their unwavering focus on customer service.

Inc. is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. It named StoredTech 2,555 out of 5,000 in 2017.

In 2016, the company was ranked 1,113 in the magazine’s ranking of 5,000. According to the magazine, StoredTech showed a 167 percent growth over the last  three years.

“A fanatical focus on customer delight. If our clients are delighted, they share that with others and the ability to grow is so much easier,” said Shaw.

Shaw started his company in Queensbury in 2010. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of voice, data, video services and equipment. Their headquarters is in Queensbury, with branch offices in Plattsburgh and South Plainfield, N.J. They provide IT support and project management, cloud services, outsourced IT leadership, and business services to businesses, healthcare groups, municipalities and nonprofit organizations.