Month: April 2019

Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Real estate agents participate in a seminar conducted by Personal Safety Services, a group that offers instruction on safety issues including self defense.
Courtesy Personal Safety Services

By Susan E. Campbell
A group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents—but with a kick.
The idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga LLC, had a minor health setback that “caused him to pull away a bit” from his busy real estate practice, according to the group’s operations director and instructor, Genevieve Suguitan of Signature One Group Malta.

Re/Max Office In Clifton Park Is The Third New Franchise Location In Area In Two Years

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Real estate broker Ferdinando Bruno, front and center, poses with staff.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Real estate broker Ferdinando Bruno is owner and broker of Re/Max Solutions in Clifton Park.
His office, at Town Plaza, 800 Route 146, is the third new Re/Max franchise to open in the Albany area in the past two years.
Although relatively new to Re/Max, Bruno has been in the real estate business for 18 years. He headed the Rubinger Team, made up of family members, at RealtyUSA/Howard Hanna before opening his own franchise with Re/Max.
He said the move to Re/Max gave him the flexibility to grow a business as an independent owner. He was also attracted by the overall brand recognition of the company and the tools it makes available to its franchisees.

OrthoNY Opens New Offices In Clifton Park; Sees Patients For Routine And Emergent Care

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

OrthoNY opened its newest location last month.
OrthoNY Surgical Suites, located at 16 Maxwell Drive in Clifton Park, offers outpatient, orthopaedic surgery and pain management from the same Saratoga and Schenectady physicians whom patients see in OrthoNY offices for routine and emergent care.
Ambulatory surgery centers like OrthoNY Surgical Suites specialize in meeting the needs of orthopaedic patients whose treatment does not require hospital admission, officials said. Staff welcome patients on the day of their procedure, and practice physicians perform surgeries in one of four fully equipped operating rooms.

Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center Adds Mobile Service For Its Patients

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Howard Vics, director of Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center, works with a patient in his Clifton Park office. He has added a mobile service for patients that live far away.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Howard Vics, director of Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center in Clifton Park, in addition to celebrating five years in business his year, announced a new mobile option for the company.
The new option, Vics said, allows providers and patients to receive valuable services without having to worry about travel.
Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center health practitioners use a screening device that looks for physiological warning signs—made possible by thermography, or infrared imaging—that detecting changes in the body that may signal disease. It is less intrusive than X-rays in that there no touching or compression of the body.

Agents Recommend Business People Meet With Them Regularly To Review Policies

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

DeWitt Jenks, president of Jenks Family Insurance Agency.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Christine Graf
Because the insurance industry is constantly changing, insurance agents suggest that business owners meet with their agents on an annual basis in order to review their policies.
Jennifer Longtin, owner and president of Lighthouse Insurance Agency in Ballston Lake, said this is the only way for agents to ensure that their clients have the coverage they need. She has operated her business for 17 years and has been in the insurance business for more than 30.
“It’s not always about just adding more expense. It’s really about providing the right protection for whatever their needs are,” said Longtin. “Insurance should always change as the times change and as the business changes. And honestly, I don’t know any business that stays in business for years and years and doesn’t change.”

Business Report: Business Doesn’t Have To Die With You

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Brian Johnson is a director at director at Advisors Insurance Brokers.

Brian M. Johnson, MBA, CLTC
Are you a business owner or manager in a business? Yes? Then ask yourself: If you, a key manager or top sales person retired, became disabled or died yesterday, who would own or manage your business today? Would you want your business interest sold, liquated or retained by a family member or other key employee?
Do you have a partner in your business? Could the business continue without him/her? Would you want to be in business with your now deceased partner’s spouse?
These are critical issues to address sooner than later. Unlike corporations with hundreds or thousands of employees, with layers of management, small business owners and key employees often play a paramount role in the day-to-day success of that business. As a business owner, you probably know what it’s like to be responsible for budgeting and hiring, while also running out to shovel the sidewalk in front of your office or store. In many cases, YOU are that business.
Lets look at three objectives, with corresponding questions, you might consider in developing a continuation plan.
Objective: Retain the business interest for family.

Coldbrook Resort Campground Sold; Will Continue To Serve RV Owners And Families

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Coldbrook Resort Campground, located off Northway Exit 16 in Gansevoort, was purchased for $1.85 million by real estate holding company Coldbrook at Saratoga LLC.
Courtesy Coldbrook Resort Campground

By Christine Graf
Coldbrook Resort Campground, an RV park located off Northway Exit 16 in Gansevoort, was purchased for $1.85 million by real estate holding company Coldbrook at Saratoga LLC.
The campground has 280 sites and is open from May 1 until Oct. 16. According to campground general manager Glen Slaymaker, approximately half of the sites are rented for the entire six-month season.

Adirondack Health Institute’s ‘ADK Wellness Connections’ Program Is Working As Hoped

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Adirondack Health Institute (AHI), in collaboration with numerous community, social service, public sector, and health care provider organizations, launched ADK Wellness Connections last fall to address unmet social and health-related needs for people in the region. Officials say early results are positive.
“ADK Wellness Connections is working as planned to make it easier for community members to access what they need to keep themselves and their families healthy,” said Jessica Chanese, AHI community engagement manager.

Tatu, A Yucatecan Mexican Restaurant, To Occupy Second Floor Space On Maple Avenue

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Owners Kareem NeJame and Jennyfur Spaulding have leased the second-floor space at 17 Maple Ave. from Sinclair Saratoga owner Hilary Morrison to open the new Tatu restaurant.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Christine Graf
Tatu (pronounced tattoo), a Yucatecan Mexican restaurant, will be opening soon at 17 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
Owners Kareem NeJame and Jennyfur Spaulding have leased the second-floor space from Sinclair Saratoga owner Hilary Morrison. Morrison has operated Sinclair Saratoga, a craft beer pub and game room, on the first floor of the building since 2017.
The building has housed a few businesses, but is well known as the former Metro nightclub.

Karen Totino Closes ‘Green Conscience’ In Saratoga To Work In Real Estate Full Time

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Karen Totino is a licensed real estate agent with Alexander Monticello Real Estate.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Karen Totino closed the doors of Green Conscience, her shop on Church Street in Saratoga Springs at the end of March to devote herself full-time to a growing real estate business.
Green Conscience was a mattress, furniture, and home products store dedicated to providing quality and education to people who seek a healthy, safe, and sustainable lifestyle.
She is a licensed real estate agent who will work out of her home and at the new Alexander Monticello Real Estate office in downtown Saratoga Springs at 511 Broadway, specializing in serving clients over the age of 50.
Totino owned and operated Green Conscience for 10 years. As she developed her real estate business, she thought she could do both but, she said, “I have discovered that I am not Superwoman. Ten years in retail is enough.”
So, she sold the last of her stock and the store furnishings.