Month: June 2024

Staff Report

A host of major first-floor Clubhouse renovations, including a new horseshoe-shaped Jim Dandy bar, will greet racing fans at Saratoga this year.

Such work is the latest in a series of significant Clubhouse capital improvements, which last year featured upgrades to the Finish Line Grill and Modelo Finish Line Bar.

“As always, our goal is to offer fans an improved experience while balancing the history and tradition of this cherished venue,” said David O’Rourke, New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer. “These are important investments which guarantee a successful future for Saratoga Race Course.”

 The historic track hosted racing’s third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes (Saturday, June 8) for the first time ever as reconstruction of Belmont Park continues in Queens. Saratoga will host the Belmont next year as well.

 The race was the highlight of a four-day Belmont Stakes Festival in Saratoga, which brought unprecedented international exposure to the city while generating a multi-million-dollar economic impact.

Five Corners Development, a local residential developer based in Saratoga Springs, joined its national partner,The NRP Group, recently to present a multi-phase concept plan for the redevelopment of the Albany-Saratoga Speedway to the Malta Town Board. Once approved, the planned development will transform the roughly 50-acre property into a vibrant retail and residential neighborhood along the busy Route 9 corridor through northern Malta, adding hundreds of units of housing and compelling retail concepts along the gateway of a growing community.

The partners have recently placed the property under contract after learning of the landowner’s desire to sell the site as raw land through a local brokerage company. Currently, there is no closing date set and the racetrack is anticipated to continue running at least through its 60th anniversary racing season in 2025.

The initial development process began with a presentation to Malta’s Town Board. Planning reviews are expected to commence over the coming months.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Hannoush Jewelers has opened a new shop in Queensbury at 1054 Route 9. It is the third location for two brothers who “happen to be part of a big family of jewelers” according to David Hannoush, who co-owns the Albany, Clifton Park, and now Queensbury retail stores with his brother, Albert.

“Our father is the oldest of eight brothers and Albert and I are the oldest of 36 first cousins,” said Hannoush. There are about 50 Hannoush Jewelers stores in 13 states, independently owned by different family members, he said.

The store has opened just in time for the wedding season. Hannoush said the main market for their products is the groom or bride-to-be, along with anyone shopping for quality jewelry for an anniversary or other special occasion. 

The co-owners have been in partnership for upwards of two decades and decided to break with tradition some years ago by leaving the strip mall setting behind in favor of free-standing buildings. Hannoush said as a result, their stores “have become a little more high-end than when we started out.”

By Paul Post

If he ever feels the need for a career change, David Andrade would make a great big league general manager.

“Building a company is almost like building a baseball team,” said the new president of Queensbury-based StoredTech. “We’re definitely looking for veterans out there who have done it before. But we also want the new person who is hungry, willing to put in the time and effort, and wants to learn and grow with an organization.”

Andrade succeeds Mark Shaw, who founded StoredTech 14 years ago and continues as its chief executive officer.

“I really looked in the mirror and said, ‘Obviously we want to continue to grow StoredTech in a massive way’,” Shaw said. “We’ve doubled and tripled growth almost every year. But as a business owner it’s easy to make mistakes. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to shortcut some of the mistakes we might make.’ The best way to do that and continue accelerated growth is to bring in somebody who’s done this before at a bigger scale, a bigger level, somebody who is aligned with our goals and company mantra of ‘customer delight’.”

StoredTech is a leading, full managed service provider that supports hundreds of clients with all aspects of IT so they can focus on their core business. StoredTech not only implements clients’ technology, but monitors it as well. 

“We insure that the client is getting all they can out of the technology they’re utilizing,” Andrade said. “A lot of managed service providers sell technology. StoredTech is selling not only solutions, but the use of technology and how to become a better, much more competitive business with the use of technology. That’s much different than what I’ve seen in the industry over the years.”

By Christine Graf

After several years spent living in Atlanta, Travelmation travel advisor Jaime Leslie has returned home to the Capital Region. The Shenendehowa High School and Southern New Hampshire University graduate became interested in working in the travel industry after visiting Walt Disney World for the first time when she was 26 years old. 

After setting her sites on a career in travel—one that focused on planning Disney vacations—Leslie applied to several agencies.

“They said I didn’t have enough experience with Disney parks and resorts, so I applied to the Disney College Program,” she said.

After Leslie was accepted into the program, she spent five months living and working at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. 

“That’s where the Disney part of my career really bloomed,” she said. “After being a cast member, I got to know what the company stands for, so I know why it’s a great choice for a vacation no matter your age. I learned so much in terms of planning  and customer service.”

By Jill Nagy

Whether you want your dog to jump through hoops or simply to walk sedately at your side, the Zoom Room, a new dog-training facility in Clifton Park, may have a class for you. 

According to owner/operator Bill Overholt, the Zoom Room will primarily provide obedience training but will also offer non-competitive agility training and some enrichment activities like tricks and bench work. The agility training uses the same equipment as used for competitive agility activities but on a smaller track.“Puppy socialization,” for puppies less than eight months old, is also very popular. 

“We don’t train dogs; we train the people who love them,” Overholt said. The key is enhanced communication, he explained: eye contact, hand motions, voice commands. Emphasis is on positive reinforcement. When a dog performs well, he or she is rewarded with a click and a treat. Every dog has a preferred treat, Overholt said, and he can provide more exotic treats for the fussiest dogs. 

By Jill Nagy

The new Franklin Square Market opened quietly at the beginning of May. 

“We wanted to get our feet under us,” Julie Delos, one of the owners, explained. They began with a “really busy week,” she added. 

The main problem is that, “like all Saratoga restaurants,” the new restaurant and market is facing “staffing challenges,” Delos noted. 

The market includes a restaurant with a light Mediterranean menu. The adjoining market carries all the ingredients for patrons to try to replicate at home what they eat in the restaurant. 

The market is located at 55 Railroad Avenue in Saratoga Springs, a space formerly occupied by a Price Chopper supermarket. They can seat 120 diners at tables indoors and out, and another 22 at the bar. There is currently a staff of about 40 but, Delos said, “we sure are” looking for more, both cooks and servers.

By Christine Graf

Davey Jones Locker has joined the growing list of businesses that have opened at the Wilton Mall. The store specializes is antiques, gifts, and collectibles.

Owner Michael Davey opened the store in May after a long career in the grocery and automobile businesses. He worked as a night manager for Grand Union for 16 years before becoming a car salesman, most recently at Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM. An entrepreneur at heart, he also operated several small businesses over the years. 

“My first business when I was young was a limousine business that never really got off the ground,” said Davey. “I also had a gift shop in 1999 in downtown Ballston Spa. It was going pretty well, but the building was for sale, and someone bought the property. So, it didn’t last long.”

For a time, he also operated Your Way Café in the Momentive plant in Waterford. Finding it difficult to make a living from the business, his stint in food service proved to be short lived. 

Davey said his idea for Davey Jones Locker evolved from his hobby of going to estate sales. 

West Mountain has hired Olympic and World Cup Coach Teresita Birkner as head women’s FIS coach for West Mountain Racing. Her daughters, Macarena and Belen, individually or collaboratively, will serve as her FIS assistants helping  U16 athletes to transition to FIS. “We are so excited for our young women FIS athletes to be coached...