By Christine Graf

More than a year after announcing plans to build a new Bass Pro Shops in Clifton Park, the sporting goods retailer has received final site plan approval from the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board. Construction is expected to begin this summer on the 77,000-square-foot store at 400 Clifton Park Center Road.

According to Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett, Bass Pro Shops could not move forward with construction until the company received final approval from federal and state agencies. 

“There was a lot of speculation about why the town was holding them up, but it had nothing to do with us,” he explained. “They had to complete a process over and above what was required by the town. As far as the town was concerned, they had satisfied all of our requirements some time ago.”

Bass Pro Shops’ decision to build a store in Clifton Park was the culmination of several years of discussions between the retailer and town officials.

Muroff Hospitality Group announced the sale of The Mohican Resort of Lake George and the 8000 square foot Boats by George Storage Building, located at 1545 State Route 9, Lake George, New York. Both properties were owned by Chad Nims (1545 State Route 9 LLC). The entire property is 4.69 Acres and was recently subdivided to sell the motel property (3.75 acres) to Amit & Payal Kumar and the Boat Storage Building (.94 acre)) to George Pensel (Five Star Marina Properties, LLC).

This well-established, long-time family-owned resort boasts 44 units, ranging in size from traditional guest rooms to 2-bedroom suites, condo-like units, townhouses and a newly renovated 4-bedroom home. Additional amenities include sparkling outdoor and heated indoor swimming pools, game room, business center, basketball court, BBQ grills, fitness center, park like setting, gazebo, guest laundry, children’s playground, housekeeping, and more. The Mohican Resort is only minutes to Great Escape, the Lake George Outlets, Millionaires Beach, Cruise Ships, Village of Lake George, Ft. William Henry, restaurants, shopping, bars and local attractions.

By Jill Nagy

The outside of the building will be different from anything else in Warrensburg; inside, it will be industrial with a touch of the Adirondacks. 

That is how Adam Langworthy, co-owner of Bandstand Brew Works, under construction at 3922 Main Street and scheduled to open this summer, describes the brewpub.

The building incorporates an 1855 barn with new construction. The finished structure will be able to seat 250 people, inside and outside.

Langworthy and his cousin and business partner, Darby Langworthy, have been home brewers, producing about five gallons at a time. To produce volumes “way beyond that,” he expects the process to be largely the same. Plans are for a variety of beers—“something for everyone”—including IPA’s, stouts, and a sour beer. For non-beer drinkers there will be a homemade hard seltzer. Customers sitting in the tap room will have a window into the brewery.

Deane Moss is returning to the area from Connecticut as the chef. Langworthy promises “classic pub-style favorites” and specials every week. “He is a very experienced chef and fits well with our team,” Langworthy said. 

By Paul Post

A recent Warren County study indicates strong demand for all types of housing, from downsizing empty-nesters to the seasonal workforce that’s vital to the region’s tourism industry.

But the report also reveals a striking gap between what many full-time workers earn and the cost of home ownership, creating a major negative economic impact.

“Even if we were to pretend that the housing needs of the seasonal hospitality industry didn’t exist there is still a mismatch between the wages provided by year-round employers in most of our region’s industries and the cost of housing in Warren County,” said Ethan Gaddy, Warren County planner. “Wages for the majority of occupations do not pay a sufficiently high enough salary for a single-earner household to afford the median single-family home in Warren County at current prices.”

“What this means is that existing businesses in our area are struggling to fill positions because workers can’t afford to live here,” he said. “This also means that we will have difficulty creating new businesses as well. This is impacting schools, hospitals, municipalities, emergency services and community organizations.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

Hannoush Jewelers has opened a new shop in Queensbury at 1054 Route 9. It is the third location for two brothers who “happen to be part of a big family of jewelers” according to David Hannoush, who co-owns the Albany, Clifton Park, and now Queensbury retail stores with his brother, Albert.

“Our father is the oldest of eight brothers and Albert and I are the oldest of 36 first cousins,” said Hannoush. There are about 50 Hannoush Jewelers stores in 13 states, independently owned by different family members, he said.

The store has opened just in time for the wedding season. Hannoush said the main market for their products is the groom or bride-to-be, along with anyone shopping for quality jewelry for an anniversary or other special occasion. 

The co-owners have been in partnership for upwards of two decades and decided to break with tradition some years ago by leaving the strip mall setting behind in favor of free-standing buildings. Hannoush said as a result, their stores “have become a little more high-end than when we started out.”

By Paul Post

If he ever feels the need for a career change, David Andrade would make a great big league general manager.

“Building a company is almost like building a baseball team,” said the new president of Queensbury-based StoredTech. “We’re definitely looking for veterans out there who have done it before. But we also want the new person who is hungry, willing to put in the time and effort, and wants to learn and grow with an organization.”

Andrade succeeds Mark Shaw, who founded StoredTech 14 years ago and continues as its chief executive officer.

“I really looked in the mirror and said, ‘Obviously we want to continue to grow StoredTech in a massive way’,” Shaw said. “We’ve doubled and tripled growth almost every year. But as a business owner it’s easy to make mistakes. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to shortcut some of the mistakes we might make.’ The best way to do that and continue accelerated growth is to bring in somebody who’s done this before at a bigger scale, a bigger level, somebody who is aligned with our goals and company mantra of ‘customer delight’.”

StoredTech is a leading, full managed service provider that supports hundreds of clients with all aspects of IT so they can focus on their core business. StoredTech not only implements clients’ technology, but monitors it as well. 

“We insure that the client is getting all they can out of the technology they’re utilizing,” Andrade said. “A lot of managed service providers sell technology. StoredTech is selling not only solutions, but the use of technology and how to become a better, much more competitive business with the use of technology. That’s much different than what I’ve seen in the industry over the years.”

Andrade comes to StoredTech, located near Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport, following a 16-year career at Boston-based Eze Castle Integration, a $100 million-plus company, where he rose through the ranks to become chief executive officer.

By Rod Bacon

Following years of experience in the information technology field, part of which was with the company he now owns, Carl Grosso decided it was time to take the reins and move the company to the next level.

He and his wife, Marly, now operate Audio Services NY, Inc., a company that provides a full range of audio, video, and security installations for homes and businesses. 

“We supply state-of-the-art systems that allow people to take complete control of the technology in their homes or businesses from anywhere,” said Carl.

Their cutting edge technology allows owners to control video, audio, and security from one user-friendly interface. Their services include home automation, distributed audio, home theater, lighting and climate control, outdoor audio-visual, and interior design.

“With our integrated systems a home or business owner can control pretty much anything in a building; door locks, garage door openers, lighting, water, music, television, alarm systems, and much more,” said Grosso. 

The Rotary Club of Lake George recently announced the unveiling of their new welcome sign, marking a significant milestone during the club’s 75th anniversary.

The Lake George Rotary Welcome Corner is located at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 9N near Exit 21. Denny Galloway, a longtime Lake George Rotarian whose vision sparked the creation of the Rotary Welcome Corner, made the corner a reality in 2004 in collaboration with New York State DOT, Lake George town officials, Warren County officials, and landscape architects with CLA SITE Landscape Architecture, Engineering, and Planning P.C.

The Welcome Corner has been a symbol of community pride and hospitality for two decades. Over the years, the Lake George Rotary Club has diligently maintained the corner, conducting annual cleanups with the help of Lake George High School’s Interact students and senior class.

To ensure the corner continues to make a positive impression on visitors, the Lake George Rotary Club embarked on a project to design and install a new welcome sign. The modern sign incorporates LED lighting, durable materials, halo lighting, and an enticing design that reflects the natural beauty of the Lake George region.