Month: October 2021

CDTA Extends Its FLEX Bus Service To Riders In The Southern Saratoga County Area

October 17, 2021

The CDTA FLEX service, an on-demand, app-based program, became available in the Mechanicville, Halfmoon and Clifton Park areas as of Sept. 20.
Courtesy CDTA

CDTA has expanded its FLEX service to the Southern Saratoga County region.

The on-demand, app-based service became available in the Mechanicville, Halfmoon and Clifton Park areas as of Sept. 20.

“It is our mission to create connections and seamless transportation options throughout the Capital Region,” said Carm Basile, CDTA chief executive officer, in a press release. “Now with the addition of Mechanicville Halfmoon and Clifton Park, we have expanded our route network and increased access and opportunity for thousands of residents.”

CDTA first introduced FLEX to the Capital Region in January of 2020 and allows customers to enjoy curb-to-curb service within specified zones by downloading the free TransLoc App and requesting a ride or by calling CDTA.

The program also operates in Colonie, Guilderland, Latham and at the UAlbany Uptown Campus. This service is also offered to Albany Medical Center, Albany International Airport, and University at Albany as part of a Universal Access agreement.

The Southern Saratoga County FLEX service will operate free of charge during the initial pilot period. It operates from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

‘Self-Care’ Parties In the Wake Of COVID-19 Pandemic Provided By ‘Refresh’ Company

October 17, 2021

A new business has launched in Saratoga Springs offering what it calls post-pandemic self-care parties to nourish and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul.

It’s called Refresh. And its goal is to offer a wellness-centered option for bachelorette parties, baby showers, women’s retreats, corporate retreats, and rites of passage such as milestone birthday parties.

Diane Palma, a Reiki II practitioner and New York state and Florida licensed cosmetologist, founded the business. She has a masters’ degree in community counseling. She is certified by the National Wellness Institute in Workplace Wellness and worked for 10 years as a mental health clinical evaluator at Four Winds Saratoga.

“Since 2013 I have been consciously transforming my life,” said Palma. “As a single parent of one college graduate and one college student, I also wanted to re-launch myself. So I sold my house and quit my job of 21 years at Jean Paul Salon &Spa and moved to Saratoga Springs.”

She continues to work as a freelance hair and makeup artist and offers services at Lockettes The Salon in Ballston Spa.

“My purpose for moving to this area was my natural attraction to the healing mineral springs. I immersed myself in the Saratoga Integrative Practitioners Network (SIPN) which opened so many doors for my personal development, self-discovery, and growth,” Palma said. “Now I would like to share the practices with others to educate them about self-care and mental health.”

Volunteers Sought To Help Operate Special Olympic Events In And Around Glens Falls

October 17, 2021

Special Olympics New York is seeking 200 volunteers for its upcoming State Fall Games, which will be held in and around Glens Falls Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23.

Volunteers must be vaccinated and registered in advance. No sports experience is necessary. Volunteers will be trained on site. People can register online at sonylive.nyso.org/pages/app/VAC.

Venue support includes set up, parking assistance, meal distribution, safety assurance, awards, and other specific venue needs.

Lunch, safety squad, and photo/video volunteers are needed at all venues. Safety Squad volunteers will ensure Special Olympics New York and venue COVID-19 protocols are being followed, and will disinfect areas and equipment in between use.

Special Olympics New York 2021 State Fall Games is sponsored by Warren County/Visit Lake George, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mohawk Honda/Chevrolet, NYSID, SEFCU, Adirondack Oral Health, Albany Medical Center, Glens Falls National Bank, Hannaford, NBT Bank, Price Chopper/Market 32, Queensbury Hotel, and Quick Response.

Area Training And Events Sports Complex Adds Outdoor, Lighted Basketball Courts

October 17, 2021

Golden Goal Sports Park is a 196-acre sports complex designed in the style of an Olympic Village, used by local teams and athletes. It recently installed two lighted outdoor basketball courts.
Courtesy Golden Goal Sports Park

By Lisa Balschunat

Golden Goal Sports Park recently installed two lighted outdoor basketball courts to its complex in Fort Ann, with pickleball courts next on the facility’s installation agenda.

In operation for 15 years, Golden Goal is a 196-acre sports complex designed in the style of an Olympic Village. The property at 495 Goodman Road touts eight outdoor fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and flag football, training, games and tournaments. Four fields are natural grass. Four are artificial turf.

According to Emmie Doin, facility director, the complex—promoted as the Northeast Premier Residential Sports Venue—offers practice times, sports retreats, tournaments, a college internship program, and has 25 cabins that can sleep up to 400 people. Field rentals are available for professional organizations, clubs, colleges, academies, high schools and travel teams.

“Golden Goal gives young athletes a place to fine-tune their skills, compete in games and tournaments, and train outdoors,” she said.

Players, team staff and chaperones can participate in 2-day to 7-day programs that include meals and all of the amenities in the Athlete’s Village and staff lounge.

“The Athlete’s Village includes outdoor activities like spike ball, can jam and cornhole and indoor activities include ping pong, air hockey, televisions, Xboxes and PlayStations,” she said. “We also have a challenge course for athletes to work on their team building skills while having fun.” The course includes a 10-foot vertical wall and tire flips.

“It’s something that someone can do alone,” she noted, “but it’s designed to encourage a team to work together.”

Elle Salon Operating In New South Glens Falls Location With Room For More Services

October 17, 2021

Danielle Kresge is the owner of Elle Salon, which recently moved into new space at 113 Saratoga Ave., Soouth Glens Falls. She has expanded staff, which now totals 12.
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

By Susan Elise Campbell

Ever since she could remember, Danielle Kresge wanted to run a hair salon and spa.

Half her dream was realized when she started Elle Salon three years ago in South Glens Falls. Now in her new location at 113 Saratoga Ave., Kresge has the room to add staff and services to give clients the full spa experience.

“At the other location, I had a good starting point to get my feet wet,” she said. “I’m actually surprised at how quickly we grew, and proud of it.”

Once she determined to move and expand, Kresge knew she would put her clients first. The location she found on Facebook was a brand new building in which she could picture clients “relaxing and enjoying themselves,” she said.

“The space is like an open canvas with white walls and high ceilings,” she said. “It has a clean, breezy, airy feeling.”

Since the move the first week of August, there have been a few new hires, bringing the staff to 12.

Business Has Been Good For Companies That Rent Out Office Space For Professionals

October 17, 2021

By Jennifer Farnsworth

The business of providing professionals with a functioning workspace outside of their home or office is a gowing one. While it may be something more and more people are seeking in the wake of COVID-19 and the unanticipated work from the home era, places like Saratoga CoWorks have actually been around for years.

Co-owner Dorothy Rogers-Bullis said her business first began in 2014, and has been thriving ever since.

“We have always been busy. The pandemic didn’t really seem to change that, however we do know that people don’t generally like to work from home. In business, it’s always better to be around others, other professionals, and that is what our business is known for, a place for professionals,” said Rogers-Bullis.

Saratoga CoWorks is a collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, professionals, freelancers and startups. They have two locations in Saratoga, with a third in the works. She said the business is not a coffee and hang out space, but instead it is a place known for an atmosphere tailored for those who are looking to get to work in a productive, supportive environment.

“Our goal is to meet the needs of those looking for a place to hold an important meeting, connect with another professional or even just to come in and work on an important deadline,” she said.

In Glens Falls, the work away from home and office workspace has found its way into a business owned by Christy Alexander.

Local Partnership Offers Computer Coding Education To Unemployed, Underemployed

October 17, 2021

SUNY Adirondack and SaratogaCanCode have joined forces to offer free computer coding education and training programs to serve unemployed and underemployed New York residents.

Funded through a state Department of Labor grant, the partnership will enable coding instruction in two popular courses—Front End Web Development and Python for Data Analytic —to serve up to 45 people starting Nov. 8.

SUNY Adirondack’s Workforce Readiness Academies Program (WRAP) provides free training opportunities for residents of New York state. Included in the program are customized services based on participant need, such as career coaching, academic advising, job-search skills, and accessing resources such as emergency child care and technology support.

The 12-week computer coding programs are offered virtually through SaratogaCanCode, which is part of CanCode Communities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a trained software workforce throughout upstate New York and beyond.

“We’re seeing such success with the summer cohort of students who are about to finish their IT boot camp training,” said Caelynn Prylo, Assistant Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Innovation at SUNY Adirondack. “This program is truly transformational for the participants. With the workforce changes we’ve seen over the past year, more people than ever can benefit from this high-impact training program, expanding their skills and securing employment in a high-demand field and strengthen our region’s pool of trained, talented tech professionals.”

BankWise Rolls Out ‘Happy Banker,’ A Program That Integrates Operating Systems

October 17, 2021

BankWise Technology has introduced Happy Banker, a software solution for banks and credit for use with their core processing system and their daily banking operations.

These modules help banks leverage and enhance their core system for certain tasks and can save them time and money, the company said.

BankWise Technology is headquartered in Saratoga Springs.

Happy Banker is a suite of modules that seamlessly integrate with a bank’s core operating system to assist in streamlining certain daily compliance and operational tasks. The modules are “plug n play” and can be combined or used individually.

Currently there are four modules: customer verify, high risk customer monitor, debit card dispute case management and overdraft review. Banks and credit unions must adhere to a strict set of regulations to maintain the safety and integrity of their customers and their bank in a rapidly changing environment. These modules help banks manage certain tasks in operational areas, like deposit operations and compliance, thereby increasing efficiencies and improved customer service.

Happy Banker also offers a variety of hosting options. Banks can host the software on their own server, in the cloud or on BankWise Technology’s secure cloud platform.

NBT Bank Publishes Cyber Security Series To Help Businesses Detect, Avoid Cybercrimes

October 17, 2021

To mark National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, NBT Bank has published a series of cybersecurity webinars addressing the trends and concerns businesses should be aware of.

These on-demand webinars were exclusive to NBT Bank partners and customers until now.

“With the dramatic shift to more people working remotely, this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month is more important to consumers and businesses than ever before,” said Terra Carnrike-Granata, senior vice president, director of information security at NBT Bank.

“While we provide our individual and business customers with robust fraud prevention tools and information, we felt there was an urgent need to get this information out to all members of our community to help them understand how to better protect themselves from cybercrime.”

Business Report: Don’t Let Year-End Sneak Up On You

October 17, 2021

Mark Shaw, president and CEO of Stored Technology Solutions Inc. (StoredTech)

By Mark Shaw

Although it’s the end of 2021, it seems like 2020 all over again, right? Well, this year will have some new challenges.

Don’t let the last quarter of the year leave your business unprepared for growth and support. There are things you can do now to ensure that in the world of technology you are not left out in the cold come December.

During this time of the year, budgets are being built and the last of the year spends are getting planned out. In a perfect world, companies would finalize those purchases in late November or early December, just in time to get the hardware, software, or service in play and being used before Jan. 1. Every business I know, StoredTech included, finds those final hour purchases to help with business financials.

In 2021, with the supply chain tightened and stretched in some areas, a wait-and-see approach cannot be taken.

Right now, chip shortages with car makers are the most visible to the public. The dealership lots are filled with many empty spaces. Go to your local grocery store, or even Walmart, these gaps in the shelves and lack of variety is now commonplace. Years ago, shelf space was at a premium and brands would pay extra to be at eye level. Now retailers are just trying to fill the shelves.

Although, it may seem normal to pick up alternative items when grocery shopping for your family, there are more consequential results when it comes to your business and how it can be impacted. The lack of materials visible in supermarkets, are visible in business technology as well.