Category Archives: Women In Business

By Lisa Balschunat

In September 2020, to assist small businesses affected by coronavirus restrictions, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration  invested $22.8 million through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding that created a revolving loan pool to help small businesses.

For the past six months, $2.94 million of those funds have been managed in the north country by the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board (LCLGRPB).

Planning Board Director Beth Gilles said there is plenty of money still available for small businesses in the eight-county area of Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Warren and Washington counties. Funds target working capital projects, equipment, and purchases related to COVID-19 issues, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and facility upgrades.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners who may be retooling their business models could benefit from the CARES dollars.

“A restaurant owner who expanded seating with outdoor dining in the parking lot last summer might now decide permanent outdoor seating would be good for business. This loan program could cover that,” Gilles said.

Businesses can apply for a revolving loan fund from $25,000 to $150,000 at a fixed rate of 1.9 percent, with up to a seven-year term, with the first 12 months interest only. There is no application fee or closing costs and up to an 84-month loan term is available.

Gilles added, “program loan funds may not be used to pay off existing debt, refinance other loans, acquire a position in a business, investments, expansion of a business or personal expenses.”

Nancy Fuller, co-owner of Fountain Square Outfitters in Glens Falls, says it has been “an amazing opportunity” to be part of the downtown business community and to watch its growth,

She has seen new businesses come in, new apartments created and the Farmers’ Market bolstered. “It’s a really cool place to be,” she said.

Fountain Square Outfitters celebrates its 10th anniversary on April 22.

The store caters to hikers, bikers those who enjoy being outdoors. The stock is mostly clothing, offering a variety of brands, including Patagonia, with emphasis on the natural and ecologically minded. In fact, Patagonia was the inspiration for the store.

Fuller said they shopped at Patagonia stores when they travelled and thought that one would be a natural for Glens Falls. It turned out the company was not interested in opening a store, but was willing to have them carry the Patagonia line of outdoor clothing if they chose to open their own store.

The business opened in 2011. Except for her husband’s law practice, it was the first business venture for both of them.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Rebecca Wood was in her new position as resort president of Six Flags Great Escape Resort for only a year when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

“Like everyone else, we were in uncharted territory,” said Wood, who prior was director of marketing and sales for the Lake George theme park and lodge. “Last season, the whole world was experiencing something different.”

Wood’s immediate goal was to keep the staff together and safe, and she said not one full-time person had to leave their job. That was important because growing up she was an athlete who “sees the value of ‘team’ in whatever we do.”

The theme park closed in October 2019 for the season and the hotel was forced to close temporarily early in March 2020.

“There’s no playbook for COVID,” said Wood. “Our team controlled what was in our control and stayed focused on those things. Our rally cry was, don’t think about what we cannot do.”

But that is a difficult task when staff is worried about their health and safety.

By Rachel Phillips
After 13 years of business, Creative DeSIGNS & Concepts will soon have a new home in Whitehall, NY.
Owner and operator Dawn VanDerwarker started her business in 2006 in North Hudson. It was there that she began to accrue a following and clientele for her hand-crafted signs.
When VanDerwarker and her husband decided to move to Kingsbury to be closer to her husband’s workplace, she continued her work out of her garage where her business began to grow exponentially from word of mouth.
Because she was often working on two to three projects at a time, she began to feel her two-car garage was no longer a sufficient workspace. She eventually found a space in Whitehall in October of 2019.
At Creative DeSIGNS & Concepts, VanDerwarker creates custom, often hand-carved signs for businesses. She also does vinyl signs, which includes vehicle and truck lettering, coroplast, PVC and banners. Many of her signs are hand-painted.

By Susan E. Campbell
Local banks can have both a stabilizing and energizing influence on a community’s economy, which is the main reason why Kerri Lewis of TD Bank and professionals like her have pursued careers in banking.
“Connecting with clients is why I’ve been a career banker,” Lewis said. “It’s a position that provides me the opportunity to have a strong pulse on the needs of the community and help make an impact.”

By Jill Nagy
After more than 20 years of organizing events, often as a sideline to a sales position, Stacy Bissell is in business for herself as Anastacia’s Events LLC out of Queensbury.
She specializes in setting up trade shows and sales conventions, but has done everything from family parties to weddings to corporate team-building events.
“What I do is my passion,” she said, “I am following my passion as my career.” She said that she has “a ton of contacts” from previous work and, although in business for less than six months, “I am very busy.”

By Susan E. Campbell
Maria Nissi is an independent college admissions consultant who has started a new business to help high school students find the best fit for their college careers. With 4,000 institutions to choose from and sticker prices that can mean decades of debt, more and more parents are finding guidance like Nissi’s to be invaluable.
“Some people think this is a service only for the rich,” said Nissi. “But it’s a lot less expensive than transferring because the student was not in the right place.”

By Christine Graf
Linda Brown of Spire Business, Inc. never set out to start her own business. She had a successful career in money management and financial planning when she took a maternity leave in 2002.
While on leave, a CPA asked her if she could help some of his clients with QuickBooks.
“I never went back to corporate America,” she said. “As a financial planner, you work 70 hours a week and I really didn’t want to do that.”