By Christine Graf
Economists and industry experts predict that the construction industry will continue to be plagued by rising material costs, material shortages and supply chain disruptions throughout 2021.
“The price increases are pretty drastic,” said Sara Turoczy, manager of business development at MLB Construction Services in Malta. “Along with lumber, we are seeing steel pricing skyrocket.”
MLB is a commercial builder. When the pandemic hit, they were working on projects for several customers including Saratoga Performing Art Center. The work at SPAC included construction of a two-story concession and venue space, as well as a smaller concessions building and an outdoor pavilion.
In addition to continuing work on projects that were underway, MLB took on numerous last-minute projects.
“We’ve been able to take on emergency calls in everything from medical to the hospitality industry,” said Turoczy. “In the beginning, when no one really knew protocol or what needed to happen, healthcare was really scrambling to try to do the best that they could to section people in the right areas and keep everyone safe.”
When company president Jim Dawsey received an emergency call from Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga, he and a crew of workers were there the next day to build a space for the center to house COVID patients.
“Jim took the call on Friday, and he was up there on Saturday morning building it out himself with a small crew of people,” said Turoczy.
MLB, a company with 66 employees and a second office in North Carolina, works in many different sectors of the construction industry and frequently bids on large projects. According to Turoczy, an increasing number of these projects are being postponed. She said state agencies are not currently awarding contracts.
“There is some uncertainty of whether some project will move forward at all. We haven’t had any projects that have been specifically canceled. They have just all been postponed—at least the ones we were looking at,” she said. “For the most part, we are just being told that these projects are being postponed and reevaluated.”
These postponements can have major implications for companies that are bidding on jobs. If the owner of a project delays the awarding of the contract, there is the potential for material prices to increase dramatically during that time frame.
“Since we have to hold our (bid) number, it becomes a challenge when the prices keep increasing between the bid due date and months later when the project gets awarded,” said Turoczy. “We are nearing the third month of being asked by one owner to hold our price.”
LayerEight, Formerly PrimeLink Managed Services, Grows IT, Cybersecurity Services
Courtesy Vicki Marking, PrimeLink
By Jennifer Farnsworth
It has been a little over a month since LayerEight, formerly PrimeLink Managed Services division, has reintroduced itself to the business community as a new subsidiary of the 118-year -old Champlain Telephone Co.
In keeping with the telephone company philosophy, LayerEight officials said it will focus on personalized customer service by specializing in IT, cybersecurity and construction services for telecommunications infrastructure.
The company is based out of Plattsburgh, however Vicki A. Marking, its sales and marketing director, said there are a number of well established clients as far reaching as Saratoga County, with the ability to serve satellite offices across New York State.
“The demographic in the Glens Falls and Saratoga area really match with what we have in the Plattsburgh area. We have a sweet spot for certain size businesses who are looking for personalized, local IT support,” said Marking.
She said when the coronavirus first hit last March, business exploded for them in many ways that were initially unexpected. With so many people having to work from home, being able to set people up with networks for a “home office” became a growing demand.
They also were being sought out for their ability to provide IT cybersecurity.
Business Report: Vaccines In The Workplace
By Rose Miller
When the news of an FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine was going to become available, I joined many with feelings of joy and hope. I envision a future where we can all live, work and play together again.
Personally, I am tracking vaccine availability closely and I will be seizing the day when I can get a shot. Sign me up. I will be carping a whole lot of diem when this is over.
In the workplace, the expectation was that my staff and the workplaces we support would be equally excited about getting vaccinated. Unfortunately, we are hearing that’s not always the case.
In fact, Dr. McKenna of Albany Medical Center believes that production of the vaccine will greatly improve, and supply will meet or exceed demand in the near future. One of his major concerns was the public’s resistance to getting vaccinated. He and public health officials know for these vaccines to truly turn the tide of the pandemic, there will need to be near universal willingness among Americans to get the shot.
Business Report: Strategies To Implement Diversity Hiring
By Renee Walrath
Diversity hiring is a practice being implemented and embraced by more and more companies. Diverse workplaces have an array of advantages including higher employee engagement, increased profitability, and higher levels of employee retainment. Workplaces saying that they value diversity is no longer enough, as actions speak louder than words.
By definition, diversity hiring is hiring based on merit with special care taken to ensure procedures are free from biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance.
However, so many other things fall under the umbrella of diversity hiring. Anything that makes one individual different from the next counts as diversity. This can be the way they think, the tools they utilize, the languages they speak, or simply anything that makes the workplace more unique!
For companies who have not always practiced diversity hiring, it can be difficult to implement, but far from impossible! These tips will help any company take the first step towards hiring more diverse candidates.
Groups Start Center For 50-Plus Entrepreneurs
AARP and Public Private Strategies launched the free Small Business Resource Center for the 50+ to provide resources to aspiring entrepreneurs and established business owners. Older entrepreneurs can find support, resources and practical guidance as they start, manage and grow their business.
“Small businesses are vital to our nation’s economy and many are started by Americans age 50 and up,” said Susan Weinstock, AARP vice president of financial resiliency programming. “The impact of the pandemic on small businesses cannot be overstated and it is crucial that business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs have practical guidance and information in this moment.”
A significant majority of small business are owned by entrepreneurs who started their businesses later in life. More than half (54 percent) of America’s small business owners are over 50 and in 2019 they employed almost half (47.3 percent) of the U.S. private workforce.
You Need More Than Skills
Your new employee is starting Monday. You think, “I hope they work out well.” The worst thing that can happen to you is that you have to start searching again. Or even worse – they do not work out – and stay on your payroll.
The big mistake we make is to focus on their skill. Can they perform the tasks well? Let’s modify the question to what you should be thinking? Can they perform their tasks, here? We often interview for skills. Why not, skills are often easier to measure. Yet the key question is whether they have the right soft skills to fit into your company’s culture.
Most people struggle to define ‘soft’ skills. Those traits have more to do with success than anything else. Does your company focus on getting results? Is it freewheeling or do you follow specific structure? Do you give specific direction? Or do you expect others to ‘figure it out’? Answering these questions helps you hire better. This allows us to change the way we get to know candidates. Take the time to figure this out.
Community Association Group Says Number Of Condos Will Increase By 4,500 This Year
The number of new condominium and homeowners associations is expected to increase by 4,500 this year, according to projections by the Foundation for Community Association Research, an affiliate organization of Community Associations Institute (CAI).
Representing nearly 25 percent of the housing stock in the U.S., community associations, also known as condominiums, housing cooperatives, and homeowners associations, are home to more than 73 million Americans, according to CAI. The 2021 projections reflect a 1.3 percent increase in new communities.
“Community associations, much like millions of businesses, continue to face difficult financial and operational challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the new research is a positive sign that the housing model remains strong,” says Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, executive director of the Foundation and CAI’s senior vice president of government and public affairs.
Since the 1970s, community associations have been a popular housing choice for people around the world—especially condominium buyers seeking close proximity to city centers, public transportation, and schools. Planned communities provide owners the benefit of shared amenities such as pools, walking trails, and other recreation facilities that may otherwise be unattainable.
According to the National and State Statistical Review for Community Association Data, published by the Foundation, planned communities give local municipalities the ability to transfer the obligation to provide services—trash and recycling removal, snow removal, streetscape beautification, sidewalk and street maintenance and lighting, stormwater management, and more—to homeowners.
Towne Law Elevates Two Of Its Attorneys To Positions As Principals In The Firm
Courtesy Towne Law
Jessica E. Stover, Esq., a former partner of The Towne Law Firm, and Christine E. Taylor, a former associate, have both been named as principal partners of the firm.
Stover is in charge of the firm’s Saratoga Springs office location.
The firm said coupling Stover’s large real estate following with existing real estate matters necessitated an expansion of both real estate attorneys and paralegals in the Saratoga office, with more expansion planned.
Before moving to Saratoga Springs in 2007, Stover attended Union College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She went on to Syracuse University School of Law, where she received her J.D. degree. She also obtained an L.L.M. in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law.
Stover’s real estate law services include both residential and commercial purchase and sales, leases, bank representation, homeowners’ associations/condo associations; title examination and title insurance law, and estate planning.
Taylor joined the firm in 2018 and has refined her practice to focus primarily on the hospitality industry, serving clients across the entire northeast as well as nationally.
Taylor, originally planning to focus her career on entertainment law, attended UCLA School of Law where she received her J.D. degree.
Mystic World, Long A Fixture In Lake George, Opens A New Shop In Saratoga Springs
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jill Nagy
Whether nostalgic for tie-dye T-shirts or needing just the right crystal to help get through difficult times, Mystic World strives to fill the bill. The business, long a fixture at the Wilton Mall in Saratoga County and in downtown Lake George, recently opened a new store at 423 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
They are still trying to get settled in at the new location, owner Violet Cannistraci said, and December was a very busy month, sometimes too busy for store employees to answer the telephone.
She said people found the Saratoga location mainly by word of mouth but also through listings on Facebook and Google. “The support for local business is amazing,” she said.
Some shoppers patronized both the Wilton Mall and the Saratoga Springs outlets, searching for just the right crystal. Each crystal is unique, Cannistraci noted, hand picked by her at gem shows.
“My house is full of crystals and I always have crystals with me,” she said. They are the most popular item in her stores. People buy them for their possible healing properties, because they are beautiful to look at and as a way to connect with the earth, she said.
Dental Practice Opts To Help The Non-Insured
Updated 2/19/21 corrected print edition firm name and address.
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Saratoga Springs Family Dentistry practice aims to put people at ease in regard to their dental health, even if they have lost their insurance.
Office Manager Bonnie Symon said all seven locations are taking part in a program that offers affordable dental care to those who may have lost their dental insurance or who never had it at all.
“We have had a great response to this, with a lot of people signing up. It’s a wonderful option for people and helps to give them some assurance that they can get the care they need without worrying about how to pay for it,” said Symon.
Symon said with COVID-19 pandemic, many patients found themselves losing their insurance and with that came the worry of how to find quality dental care that they can afford. She said they have reached out to local employers who have been vulnerable to the shaky economy, especially small businesses.
The plan offers member-only free exams, x-rays, and cleanings, plus 15 percent off all other dental services. There are three plan options for routine cleanings and exams, diagnostic X-Rays, and discounts on treatment.