Month: October 2023

Empire State University To Launch Degree Program In Digital Media Arts In 2024

October 12, 2023

Empire State University will have a new bachelor’s degree in digital media arts.
Courtesy Empire State University

Empire State University has launched a bachelor’s degree in digital media arts to prepare students for careers in graphic design, content creation, web design, and digital storytelling.

The program provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the rapidly evolving world of digital media, officials said.

Students can enroll in the digital media arts program at SUNY Empire beginning spring of 2024.

The program is designed to be flexible, accommodating both full-time and part-time students, as well as transfer students. Employing the “learner as producer” model, students will learn by doing while receiving personalized support and guidance from mentors and faculty with expertise in the field. The duration of the degree program will vary depending on individual course load and prior credits.

The fully online BA or BS in digital media arts features a cutting-edge curriculum offering courses such as media and visual literacy, digital art and design, information design, digital painting and web publishing.

M&M Digital Printing Takes Advantage Of Its Small Size To Handle Rush Jobs For Clients

October 12, 2023

Matt Flint, owner of M&M Digital Printing, running a job through the Dupro finisher.

By Paul Post

Think of a high-powered speed boat that can do circles around ocean liners still leaving the dock. According to M&M Digital Printing officials, that’s the advantage its small size creates over bigger firms by allowing it to shift gears and get jobs done right away.

“We get a lot of ‘I need it yesterday’ type calls,” owner Matt Flint said. “There aren’t many printers that you can call and say, ‘Hey, can you print these and do it today?’ That’s where we specialize—that same-day, next-day service.”

To keep up with growth and customer demand, Flint moved his decade-old business from 95 Broad St., Glens Falls, to a larger space at 726 Upper Glen St. in Queensbury last year.

“We added some software and equipment including two of our wide-format printers, which streamlined production and we’ll be upgrading our production presses before end of this year,” he said.

Flint plans to attend this month’s Printing United Expo, in Atlanta, to keep up with industry trends and technologies, and connect with others in the field as well.

Business Report: Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October 12, 2023

Christopher Conklin, VP, Chief Information Security Officer, Chemung Canal Trust Company.

It’s October, which for those in the technology field means it is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Since 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been designated as a time to raise awareness regarding the impact of cybersecurity. Given the devastating impact of cybersecurity attacks, a month does not seem enough. The year 2023 has seen a drastic influx of not only an increase in attacks, but also large payouts to ransomware operators.

No matter the size of an organization, it is a target. No organization is safe from threat actors. Just look at the recent ransomware attacks affecting MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. While these large organizations handle money, casinos are not normally on the list for threat actors until now.

With the increase in attacks and potential costs to organizations, now is the time to focus on basic foundational questions.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a popular time for routine tips or practices, but they warrant constant reminders. Traditional guidance holds that organizations should follow several time-tested practices to help protect themselves. They include:

• A safe and secure password.

• Utilize multi-factor authentication when possible.

• Data encryption.

• Routine data backup.

• Keep your devices updated.

• Report phishing attempts.

CultureTalk Corporate Assessment Tools Take Difficult Subjects And Make Them Easy To Explain

October 12, 2023

Theresa Agresta is one of the leaders at CultureTalk in Saratoga.

By Christine Graf

When leaders of the Veterinary Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were tasked with improving the agency’s internal culture, they turned to CultureTalk for help.

CultureTalk, a Saratoga Springs-based company, was founded by sisters Theresa Agresta and Cynthia Forstmann. The USDA is among a long list of companies and agencies from around the world that have utilized the CultureTalk Platform to measure and define workplace culture.

Organizational culture refers to the values, beliefs, attitudes, systems, and rules that outline and influence employee behavior within an organization.

“It’s common for people to talk about culture, but a lot of people don’t fully understand it,” said Agresta. “It is more often found in the ‘unwritten rules’ than the things that have been spelled out. CultureTalk can take something that is difficult to define and make it easy to talk about.”

The sisters came up with the idea for CultureTalk while working together on their first joint venture, brand development company Allegory Studios.

“Cynthia and I developed a niche and expertise in brand development,” said Agresta. “Very early on, we discovered the impact that measuring culture had on the development of an authentic brand. When we were working with a business to differentiate and brand them, the culture was the piece that really stood out to us.”

“If you are selling services, a lot of what you offer is similar to your competitors. It’s your people and your culture that really differentiate you, and that can be why a prospective client might choose your business.”

Amanda Triolo Sees Tremendous Growth At Her Grasshopper Heating & Cooling Business

October 12, 2023

Amanda Triolo is the owner o Grasshopper Heating and Cooling.

By Christine Graf

Thirty-year-old Broadalbin native Amanda Triolo was managing the accounting department at Chris’ Coffee Service when she started flipping houses in her free time. It was a risky proposition but one she thrived on.

“I realized I liked rolling the dice to see what I’m made of,” said Triolo. “So, when I got some money under my belt and got the opportunity to take over a commercial install only HVAC company, I decided to give it a shot.”

Triolo purchased PMA Mechanical LLC in 2016, relocating the business from Broadalbin to Albany. Almost immediately, she recognized the company would have more growth opportunities if she expanded into the residential market.

“From 2016 until COVID happened, I was trying to figure out how to go from the commercial industry to the residential industry,” she said. “I couldn’t figure out how to do it without going bankrupt. I didn’t have the cash flow to be able to hire residential employees and also pay for the commercial employees and wait for the money to come in from commercial jobs.”

In March 2020, while Triolo was still trying to come up with a plan, construction sites were shut down because of the COVID pandemic.

“In the snap of a finger, I had no business at all,” said Triolo. “I had 12 employees at the time, and I had to lay off all but 4.”

Triolo transitioned her remaining employees to residential work, relying on Google ads to market their services. As the phone started ringing, she was able to bring her laid off employees back to work.

Real Estate Professionals Say Strong Demand For Homes Outpaces The Existing Inventory

October 12, 2023

Real estate professionals in the region say it is a tough market for buyers.

By Paul Post

Area real estate professionals say the fourth quarter heading into 2024 continues to be a strong seller’s market as demand far outpaces inventory for prospective homebuyers.

“It seems that there’s been a decline in homes coming on the market during the past year because many people who are at lower interest rates are holding back, they don’t want to have to buy a house at a higher rate,” said Janet Besheer, of Equitas Realty in Saratoga Springs. “They’re just backing off. So there are fewer sales. We have a lot of disappointed people.”

Pending sales throughout the Capital Region declined 9 percent this summer while closed sales dropped more than 26 percent and total inventory was down 28 percent.

Mortgage rates are currently over 7 percent, more than double the 3 percent level of a few years ago.

“That’s causing a certain portion of the market to step back and say, ‘I’m not going to buy now, we’re going to stay put’,” Besheer said. “Others say, ‘We’ll wait till interest rates come down.’ Well that might be a long wait.”

Meanwhile, prices continue to escalate.

“It’s hard for empty nesters to retire, sell and buy in this market,” said Melissa Cartier, of Saratoga Springs-based Cartier Real Estate Group LLC. “They’re getting a lot for their property, sure, but to purchase at such a higher price point? I don’t know.”

“It’s a really tough time for buyers,” she said. “It’s not fun for them. Lots of people have been looking six months, a year. One buyer I know moved out and rented for a full year before finding a house.”

Some people are so anxious to buy that they’re waiving inspections, which she strongly discourages. “We like to see people be confident in what they’re buying,” Cartier said. “We try to have our buyers be more completive in other areas, like giving the seller more time to move out, not just throwing caution to the wind.”

Business Report: A Malaise Or A Meltdown?

October 12, 2023

Steven Luttman, broker/owner of SJ Lincoln Realty, host of The Expected Returns podcast.
Courtesy Steven Luttman

By Steven Luttman

Not all relationships are built to last. In the United States, roughly half of all marriages sadly end in divorce. While a decree marks the actual end, oftentimes discontent has been brewing long beforehand.

This is not limited to personal relationships, as business ties often experience difficult periods as well. Despite changing economic conditions, large scale foreclosure activity has so far failed to materialize. It’s starting to appear however that within the world of commercial real estate, we are within the preceding interval of unease.

Some $1.5 trillion of commercial real estate debt is set to mature before the end of 2025. Whereas residential real estate’s purpose is to provide shelter, commercial real estate is used for business or income-generating purposes. Malls, office towers and warehouses would all be classic examples. In a world of simultaneous low interest and vacancy rates, refinancing maturing debt is a non-issue. In 2023, things are very different.

Over the past 18 months, the Federal Reserve has increased their Fed Funds Rate eleven times, from an effective rate of 0.08 percent in March 2022 to today’s 5.33 percent. This in turn has caused borrowing costs to rise throughout the economy, from credit cards for people like you and me to loan rates for businesses looking to expand.

The result of this abrupt shift in monetary policy is that borrowers who originally obtained loans during the past 15 years of historically low borrowing costs are now faced with refinancing this maturing debt at levels which may turn a once profitable property into a money loser. In this case, securing new financing may not even be possible.

As business Grows, Signature ONE Realty Group Opens Offices On Route 9 In Malta

October 12, 2023

Owner Cindy Quade, front right, poses with staff in the new Signature ONE Realty Group offices where the company celebrated the grand opening of the building on Route 9 in Malta.

By Christine Graf

Signature ONE Realty Group recently celebrated grand opening of its new offices at 2460 Route 9 in Malta.

Prior to relocating, their office was just a short distance away at 2575 Route 9.

“We leased that space for almost four years, and we outgrew it,” said owner Cindy Quade, a licensed real estate broker with more than 35 years of experience. “We also wanted to have our own space.”

Quade started her real estate career in new construction and branched out into resale after years of referring business to other brokers.

“We had a huge demand from a lot of past clients to do resale,” she said. “We had been referring out a lot of that business for a lot of years.”

When rebranding the business in 2018, its name was changed from Signature Homes Realty to Signature ONE Realty Group. The firm has grown to include 12 agents, and to date, sales have totaled close to $1 billion, according to Quade.

State Awards Three Farm Protection Grants Topping $108 Million To Saratoga PLAN

October 12, 2023

New York State is awarding more than $6 million to strengthen New York’s agricultural industry through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program.

The eight awarded projects will protect a total of 2,014 acres of valuable farmland across the state, helping to keep agricultural land in production, ensure the long-term viability of New York’s farming operations, and protect the state’s potential for carbon sequestration on these agricultural lands.

Three of the grants went to Saratoga PLAN for land in Saratoga County.

Saratoga PLAN was awarded $690,258 to protect 158 acres, with 36 percent productive soils, on Drummland Farm, $565,276 to protect 79 acres, with 77 percent productive soils, on Betterdays Farm, and $550,488 to protect 76 acres, with 59 percent productive soils, on Two Lions Farm in the equine category,

“Protecting our state’s farmlands is a critical component not only to protecting our environment, but also maintaining the economic viability of the state’s agricultural industry for generations to come,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “This program gives farmers the support they need to conserve land while expanding market opportunities so they can continue to produce and sell some of the highest quality foods, beverages, and products in the country that sustain our communities.”

“Farming is a cornerstone of New York’s economy and we must ensure our farmlands are preserved,” said Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.

This is the 19th round of the state’s Farmland Protection program. Last year, for the first time ever, the program awarded funding to projects to support the state’s top priorities—like food security, climate resiliency, and source water protection—as well as expanded eligibility criteria for the program to include the agroforestry, equine, and wine sectors.

GT Toyz Motor Sports And Marine Plans To Expand On Its Route 9 Halfmoon Property

October 12, 2023

GT Toyz Motor Sports and Marine in Halfmoon plans to expand in the marked area. Owner Greg Goldstein opened four years ago and says business is growing.
©2023 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Susan Elise Campbell

Greg Goldstein opened the doors of GT Toyz Motor Sports and Marine four years ago and is already expanding the full-service dealership to keep up with growing and shifting demand for motorcycles, motorboats, all terrain vehicles, and other sporty equipment like jet skis and snowmobiles.

All permits are in place and ground-breaking is soon to begin on an expansion that will increase parking space and showroom space for the business at 1537 Route 9 in Halfmoon, and continue to accommodate administrative offices and a growing service department.

There is 7,500 square feet of space now, and Goldstein said he is “trying to figure out how to reconfigure” optimally the property that the business purchased five years ago. He said he is filling in a ravine for parking and wants to consolidate boat storage, which overflow is now across the street and at another rental location.

Goldstein credits the growth of GT Toyz to his retail background selling automobiles for his father, Alan Goldstein of Goldstein Auto Group, a career training that developed an attitude he believes other dealership owners do not have.