Month: June 2023

Owner Of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center Named Proprietor Of Year By National Group

June 12, 2023

Doug Bohannon will be honored by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America in June.

The Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA) has named Doug Bohannon of Queensbury its 2023 National Proprietor of the Year.

Bohannon, along with his wife Alison, own Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls along with Kingpin’s Alley in Latham.

Bohannon is a native of Glens Falls and is a 1985 graduate of Glens Falls High School. He has been in the bowling business for the past 25 years.

In 2013 Doug and Alison purchased their first bowling center in South Glens Falls. Over the past 10 years, the center has been transformed from a traditional bowling alley into a modern family fun center.

Bohannon credits his success primarily to his previous employer, Bowl New England, from which both of his centers were purchased.

“Having worked for one of the industry leaders for 13 years prepared me for what owning my own center would be like”, Bohannon said. “The knowledge and insight that I gained during my time with Bowl New England has been invaluable in growing a successful business.”

Bohannon is no stranger to award recognition as his South Glens Falls business was awarded the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2018. Also, in 2018 he was named the New York State Bowling Proprietor of the Year.

Micro Brews, Nonprofits Among Those Who Can Apply In Latest Grant Funding Round

June 12, 2023

New York state has opened the application period for Round XIII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

Round XIII includes core capital grant and tax-credit funding combined with a wide range of programs from 10 state agencies, including $150 million in grant funds from Empire State Development, available to projects on a continuous basis.

The councils are encouraged to support projects that advance or address strategic State priorities—including green buildings and sustainable development, child care, distressed communities, and innovative public-private partnerships; those projects, will be eligible for additional award funding.

The deadline for applications is Friday, July 28, at 4 p.m. Open enrollment programs are not subject to the July 28 deadline and will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis until funds are exhausted.

Officials said new this year, two new micro programs will award capital grants to support New York state craft beverage manufacturers and non-profit organizations, and a new $30 million Challenge competition will award $10 million to up to three regions to implement creative solutions to tackle persistent barriers to economic growth.

Also, for the first time since 2015, the councils will be tasked with updating their strategic regional economic development plans.

United Ag & Turf, United Construction & Forestry Now Operate Under One Roof

June 12, 2023

Store manager Patrick Mullahey poses at United Ag & Turf and United Construction & Forestry, businesses that are now both located at 20 Deere Lane in Clifton Park in one large retail store.

By Christine Graf

United Ag & Turf and United Construction & Forestry are now located under one roof in a brand-new facility located at 20 Deere Lane in Clifton Park. The 27,000-square-foot retail store is located just a short distance from Northway Exit 10.

Prior to relocating, United Construction & Forestry was located at 14 Crossing Boulevard in Clifton Park. The store operated as Nortrax before being acquired by Fernandez Holdings in 2021. Fernandez Holdings’ portfolio includes both United Construction & Forestry and United Ag & Turf.

Before moving to Deere Lane, United Ag & Turf was located on Route 9 in Clifton Park, the longtime home of Hudson River Tractor.

Prior to selling the company in 2020, Hudson River Tractor operated five stores in the Capital Region.

Headquartered in Fairfield, Maine, United Ag & Turf has 42 locations throughout the northeast. In addition to offering a full line of John Deere equipment dealer, they sell and support other brands including Stihl, Honda, Western Plow, and Ariens.

‘Malta Business Works’ Created To Help Local Companies Network, Address Their Needs

June 12, 2023

By Susan Elise Campbell

Malta Business Works is a new organization formed to help promote business in the town.

The group provides a forum for “a collective network of businesses to exchange ideas and talk about their needs and struggles,” said David Rosenberg of Brix Wine & Liquor, an officer of the nonprofit’s five-person board of directors.

According to Rosenberg, there are upward of 300 businesses in Malta. Malta Business Works is reaching as many as possible by piggybacking on the business-to-business calls of one of its member businesses, by word-of-mouth, and by using social media to advertise the event.

“We need a strong membership base to serve the community and help our businesses do business,” he said. “We are letting them know they can be a part of something to support local, grow their business, and meet with other businesses.”

Malta’s businesses represent a diverse group of products and services and range from working from home to a small independent business to large local employers.

“One of the members said something the other day that meant a lot to me,” said Rosenberg. “He said there is no water cooler for him to bounce ideas off of.”

Business Report: Retirement Planing With SECURE Act 2.0

June 12, 2023

Mark Prian, institutional wealth management consultant, NBT Wealth Management.

By Mark Prian

The original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 was designed to expand access to tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, and it made changes to existing laws to ensure that older Americans are less likely to outlive their retirement assets.

The intent of this act was also to improve the way businesses provide retirement benefits to employees. In 2022, some long-awaited changes to the original act were introduced, and, in December, what is now known as SECURE 2.0 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.

SECURE 2.0 builds on the original objectives and makes some important adjustments to the 2019 legislation. With more than 100 provisions in the law, these new changes are bound to impact just about everyone who is saving for retirement. So, whether your employees are close to retiring or have many more years to save, here are some highlights you need to know.

Starting in 2023, the biggest change in SECURE 2.0 might be the adjustments to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Under the 2019 act, a plan participant had to begin withdrawing retirement savings at the age of 72. The 2022 law increases this to age 73, that began on Jan. 1, 2023. By 2033, the starting age for RMDs will be 75.

Also starting this year, the penalties for failing to take the RMD are cut from 50 percent of the amount not taken down to 25 percent. If you correct this mistake in a timely manner within an IRA, the penalty drops to 10 percent.

Employers may now choose to offer matching or nonelective contributions as Roth contributions.

Business Report: How You Can Help Your Kids Financially

June 12, 2023

Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP®, ChFC®, RICP® at The Atrium Financial Group of Northwestern Mutual.

Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP, RICP, ChFC

As a parent of adult children, there’s an ongoing tug of war between your values, your finances, and your time, with respect to your family.

True story: Last week, my husband hopped into his truck, and drove three states west on zero notice, to provide grandpa coverage for 5-year-old grandchild number four, while our daughter and son-in-law juggled careers, pregnancy, selling a house, and relocating. Their careers are taking them where they need to go; and we are monitoring where they land to see how we can best provide support.

We are feeling blessed to have the time and geographic flexibility that so many of our peers don’t have. It was a great case study in offering resources “besides” money, that are meaningful value-adds to the kids.

As your financial planner, I will always recommend that you “secure your own oxygen mask” (fund your own retirement) before you turn to the seat next to you and assist. That part certainly has not changed. What might be different for this generation is the notion of what “helping the kids” looks like. While once you were determined to fund a wedding or provide a down payment on a home, today you might be more creative—or even return to the intergenerational assistance of days gone by.

Here are some ideas for helping your kids that can be as rewarding for you as for your adult children:

Combine an opportunity to see the grandkids with a destination family vacation and pay your own way. Take the grandkids in the evenings or at certain hours to give your children a break without increasing the cost of their travel childcare. I have clients who love to travel separately and converge on a destination with their children and grandkids.

AARP Report: Two-Thirds Of Adults In U.S. Believe Consumer Fraud Is At A Crisis Level

June 12, 2023

Two-thirds of adults in the United States believe fraud has hit a crisis level, according to a new AARP Fraud Watch Network report.

The report also highlights the methods criminals use to steal money, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards and peer-to-peer payment apps. The findings suggest the need for Americans to share what they know about scams with their friends and family.

“Financial predators use a playbook to get us into a heightened emotional state,” said Kathy Stokes, AARP director of fraud prevention programs. “They know it’s hard to access our logical thinking when we are panicked, excited or scared. But knowing about specific scams makes it far less likely that we will engage with them.”

Criminals often turn to atypical payment options in their scams like gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and cryptocurrency, because these forms of payment are processed quickly and cannot be reversed.

The AARP report showed one third of adults do not know it is a scam when someone directs you to use a cryptocurrency ATM to address some financial concern. In 2022 alone, the FBI says reported losses from fraud involving cryptocurrency reached $2.57 billion, a 183 percent increase from the previous year.

Saratoga Hospital CEO Wants Facility To Stay Strong In The Community As It Grows

June 12, 2023

Jill Johnson VanKuren became the CEO of Saratoga Hospital last September.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Saratoga Hospital brought on a new CEO last fall, Jill Johnson VanKuren, who with the end of her first year approaching has expressed her goal to “protect the integrity of the hospital while advancing the future needs of the community.”

VanKuren left her position as COO of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore to accept her first CEO role.

“I was looking for an opportunity more in line with a traditional community hospital,” she said. “Here in Saratoga, there is one hospital in the county and people live, work and play in the same area, so staff are truly committed to the community.”

Although Saratoga Hospital has been affiliated with Albany Medical Center since 2017, VanKuren said it is “right at the beginning of the journey” of joining forces with the Capital District’s top hospital system.

“I had been with MedStar since its early inception and helped facilitate its progress of becoming a larger system,” she said. “The relationship with Albany Medical Center and Saratoga Hospital forming as a system was a unique opportunity for me.”

Regional Medical Partnerships Provide Students Early Exposure To Patient Care

June 12, 2023

A new partnership between Albany Medical College and several regional health organizations provides a unique opportunity for medical students to gain early clinical exposure.

The Introductory Longitudinal Clerkship (ILC), part of the Medical College’s major curriculum modification, places first year medical students with primary care physicians throughout the community.

Since January, 145 medical students have attended regular half-day sessions with primary care physicians from Community Care Physicians, St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP), the Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany Med Health System members Columbia Memorial Health and Saratoga Hospital, as well as several private practices.

The ILC gives students the opportunity to work with the same physician preceptors as they provide care to their patients over time. Traditionally, medical students would not start clinical patient care training until the third year of medical school.

“Such early longitudinal clinical experiences with positive physician role models have been shown to help students develop foundational clinical skills, self-confidence, empathy toward patients, and a sense of professional identity,” said Dr. Alan Boulos. “We’re grateful to our community partners who have so generously volunteered their time to help us educate the next generation of physicians.”

The early exposure to patient care has also been shown to promote student career interest in primary care fields such as family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics. This is of particular importance to area health organizations and the medical community as they try to meet the challenges of an ongoing shortage of primary care physicians, officials said.

Restaurants Must Post Allergy Awareness Lists

June 12, 2023

Two state agencies are marking Allergy Awareness Month by informing the public about a new law affecting New York restaurants and other food service establishments.

Beginning May 20, any business that serves food in New York is required to post an allergy notice that is visible for employees involved in preparing and serving food. The notice also includes information on how staff should respond to a customer who reveals they have a food allergy, how to prevent cross-contamination in food preparation and service, and directs them to call 911 if a customer has an allergic reaction.

The policy is the product of a bill sponsored by state Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation in November. The legislators explained that the bill’s intent is to “educate restaurant personnel and ensure that safety mechanisms are utilized in food preparation and service.”

The new law also requires restaurants and food delivery services to label the eight major food allergens on menus.