Jake Van Ness, Author at Saratoga Business Journal

Jake Van Ness

1867 Articles

Business Report: Plan Early, Communicate Often

August 3, 2017

David L. Cumming, senior vice president, financial advisor with Morgan Stanley.
Courtesy Morgan Stanley

By David L. Cumming

As the Baby Boom generation continues its march to retirement, a significant number of entrepreneurs will soon begin the process of transitioning family businesses to the next generation.

If you are about to embark on this journey, here are some of the potential pitfalls to avoid.

According to the 2016 U.S. Family Business Survey conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers, only about 43 percent of private businesses have done any exit planning whatsoever. Failure to execute a business transition may lead to multiple negative outcomes, including:

1. Breakdown of communication and trust within the family unit;

2. Inadequately prepared heirs and absence of a clear vision or mission to align family members;

3. Failure by advisors to properly address taxation, governance and wealth preservation issues.

With success riding largely on a family’s ability to communicate and to clearly articulate a plan for the future, the following guidelines may help to ease the business transition process.

Get the process started years before the actual transition occurs. Some experts recommend building an exit/transition strategy into the initial business plan. As part of the planning process, business owners should create:

Senior Center Keeps People Busy With Daily Activities And Volunteer Opportunities

August 3, 2017

Exercise classes are among the many programs offered daily and weekly for people age 50 and up at the Saratoga Senior Citizens Center on William Street.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy

“It sure is a busy place,” said Kate Bunster, marketing director of the Saratoga Springs Adult and Senior Center at 5 William St. in Saratoga Springs.

With 100 to 150 people coming by on a typical day, the center offers a wide variety of activities for people over the age of 50, both for participating and volunteering.

“The social part is the biggest piece,” she said. For seniors who feel isolated or feel the need to make new friends, the center “creates a space to go during the day.”

A new program, for example, called Super Social Fridays, began in January. The program every Friday might feature a speaker like local author Richard Cerasani, who wrote a book about Mount Rushmore, or even a showcase for dancing dogs. Other programs are centered on craft projects.

For card players, the center hosts canasta, bridge, rummy and mah jhong games. There is also a pool table. Fitness activities include yoga, Zumba, tai chi, aerobics, and strength training. Groups also meet to crochet, knit or hook rugs.

Community Connect helps people find volunteer activities in the community or at the center. It trains volunteers to provide assistance to seniors in Saratoga County. Its mission is to help seniors maintain an independent lifestyle.

Senior Housing Community In Ballston Spa Envisions Having 83 Townhouse-Style Units

August 3, 2017

This rendering depicts what the proposed senior housing community on Hutchins Road would look like. The townhomes would have two bedrooms and two baths on a single floor.
Courtesy Malta Development Inc.

By Jill Nagy

Malta Development Co. is planning an 83-unit senior housing community on Hutchins Road in Ballston Spa.

Developer Tom Samascott hopes for approval in August and said construction would begin in the spring.

He described the project as townhouse-style rental units, each of them with two bedrooms and two baths on a single floor. He anticipates rents of $1,700 to $1,800 a month.

The buildings will have vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofs. Amenities will include pocket parks with garden beds and a dog park. There are no plans for a fitness center, community room or similar facilities.

Father-Daughter Partnership Is Operating Studio A Landscape And Planning In Saratoga

August 3, 2017

Jeff Anthony and his daughter, Kirsten Catellier own Studio A Landscape and Planning.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth

It’s probably not just the 42 years of being a successful architect that defines Jeff Anthony’s career.

The business he is building with his daughter encompasses his love of nature, his daughter Kirsten Catellier’s inherited talents and a respect for combining architecture with the natural landscape that defines the North Country. It is an art that Anthony and Catellier take seriously, and their growing Saratoga Springs-based firm Studio A Landscape and Planning is proof of it.

Studio A is a multi-disciplinary landscape architecture and environmental planning firm, been providing design services to both public and private clients. Studio A works to create low-impact design solutions, using the site’s natural resources and the clients’ goals and objectives, the owners say.

Over the past the six months the business has been growing at a rapid pace. Catellier credits much of the success to the relationship she and her father have, both professionally and personally.

“It is amazing working with my dad. It has been a goal of mine for many years. He is not only a wealth of information, but he really understands how to explain information and teach me the ropes. He’s very patient and understanding. I think we make a really good team. He is seasoned and I’m still learning, so we both bring to the table a variety of traits and information. Every day is fun too, it doesn’t feel like we are at work,” said Catellier.

Catellier graduated from Bolton Central School and then moved on to receive her Bachelors of Landscape Architecture degree from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, where her father also received a degree in landscape architecture.

Local Salon, Spa Joins ‘Green’ Network That Seeks To Reduce Its Environmental Impact

August 3, 2017

Nurture green salon & spa, in Saratoga Springs is a green circle-certified salon.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

Nurture green salon & spa, a newly green circle-certified salon, is now part of a comprehensive recycling and sustainability program that sets out to significantly reduce the industry’s impact on the environment.

From the sourcing of ingredients, to the disposal of packaging and products, the salon and beauty industry has long posed many challenges to the environment, Nurture officials said.

The business is located at 182 South Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

According to the company, 63,180 pounds of hair clippings, 42,122 pounds of hair color, 109,512 pounds of foil and color tubes, and 206, 392 pounds of wastepaper, salon bottles, and other paper and plastic items are being tossed out by hair salons across North America every single day.

“With this in mind, we wanted to join forces with Green Circle to take a stand for our planet and work together to reduce our ecological footprint and make our industry more sustainable,” the company said in a news release. “Through our partnership with Green Circle Salons, we will be redirecting what was once considered garbage out of our water streams and landfills to be re-purposed into innovative green solutions.”

Since May 1, all hair clippings, extensions, any excess color and developer, papers and plastics, foils, aerosol cans and color tubes from Nurture will be collected by Green Circle Salons, effectively cutting down the salon’s total waste by 85-95 percent, the company said.

“As our customers continue to take increasing interest in the ethical and environmental impacts of their purchasing power, we wanted to give our customers a genuinely more responsible and greener choice when it comes to looking and feeling beautiful,” officials said.

Magazine Names Apex Solar Power One Of The Top Solar Installing Companies In The U.S.

August 3, 2017

This is one of the solar roof installations done by Apex Solar Power. The company employs 100 workers and says it installed 7,879,000 watts of solar power in 2016.
Courtesy Apex Solar Power

Local solar installer Apex Solar Power was named one of the top solar contractors in the U.S. by Solar Power World magazine.

Apex was 136 out of 500 solar companies ranked by the magazine.

The Top Solar Contractors list is developed by Solar Power World to recognize the work completed by solar contractors across the country. Produced annually, the list celebrates the achievements of U.S. solar developers, subcontractors and installers within the utility, commercial and residential markets.

The list was released on July 25.

“The 2017 Top Solar Contractors list features 500 of the best solar contractors in the United States,” said Kelly Pickerel, managing editor of Solar Power World. “From solar hotbeds on the coasts to the up-and-coming Midwest solar market, every installer adding even the smallest solar array to the grid is making a positive impact on our communities. We’re proud to recognize these companies and their efforts to bring solar power to U.S. homes and businesses.”

The U.S. solar market installed more than 14,700 MW of solar in 2016, nearly doubling the capacity installed in 2015, according to the magazine. For the first time ever, solar was ranked as the No. 1 source of new electric generating capacity additions brought online throughout the year.

GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) predict the cumulative U.S. solar market to nearly triple in size over the next five years. By 2022, more than 18 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity will be installed annually, and Apex Solar Power will continue to be a major player in adding solar to the grid, company officials said.

‘Boat N RV Condos’ Uses Solar Roofing Panels To Save On Electricity, Derive Other Revenue

August 3, 2017

Boat N RV Condos has installed solar roofing at this Saratoga Springs facility.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy

Boat N RV Condos, an indoor storage facility for boats, RVs, and similar recreation equipment, has gone solar at all three of its facilities—in Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Latham.

The most recent project, in Saratoga Springs, was completed in July. The Glens Falls facility went solar last February.

Concord Pools in Latham, the company’s flagship facility, has had solar panels on its roof for 10 years.

The buildings have “massive roof square footage,” said Michael Giavanone, who heads the company.

He said it seemed like a “socially responsible approach” to making use of that area. “We want to do everything we can to improve the environment.”

The company is renting its rooftop space to Monolith Solar on a 20-year lease, said Giavanone. That company supplied and installed the equipment and maintains it. The panels produce enough energy to keep the host facility in electricity and Monolith feeds the rest back into the grid.

Through the agreement, Boat N RV gets free electricity as well as rent payments from Monolith. Monolith, in return, gets paid for the energy it returns to the electricity grid. The boating storage areas “are not high-demand facilities,” Giavanone said, so the bulk of the power produced on the rooftops goes into the grid.

Business Report: Protect Your Business From Data Breaches

August 3, 2017

Rob Shauger is director of sales and development at ConfiData.
Courtesy ConfiData

By Rob Shauger

If your business handles personally identifiable information, it is important to keep the information secure in order to protect your clients.

This includes patient records, employment records, loan applications, tax forms, medical forms, credit card applications, and more. Security breaches are a real and large threat to businesses of all sizes and across all industries.

The average total cost for companies who suffered a data breach of more than 50,000 records cost an average of $10.3 million. Think your company is too small to have a data breach really effect you? Think again. According to an IBM study, data breaches involving small businesses can cost a staggering $4.5 million.

Data breaches small or large also tarnish your company’s hard-earned trustworthy reputation, making it harder to gain new clients even years down the road.

While many people associate data breaches to cyber terrorists and online hackers, the truth is often times data breaches occur from improper handling or disposing of personal documents. Thieves target paper documents and use the information to open fraudulent accounts.

Information can also be recovered from computer hard drives that have been improperly disposed of. Simply throwing away hard drives without proper destruction could leave your business (and clients) at considerable risk. If the thief has access and the knowledge, they can wreak havoc on a business.

Do you rip up credit card offers when they come in the mail? If your answer is no because you shred credit card offers, good for you. If you just toss them straight into the recycling, you might want to rethink your policy. Just like seemingly innocuous junk mail can be a threat to your personal identity, a lot of papers floating around your office might be a threat to your client or patient confidentiality.

Pay Hikes Are Not Enough For Employers To Retain Workers; Employee Shortages Exist

August 3, 2017

By Maureen Werther

Finding and retaining good employees is a challenge in today’s business world. As the unemployment rate continues to drop and the economy continues to improve, the demand for qualified workers continues to grow.

“Recruiting is about as competitive as I’ve seen it in a long time,” said James Marco, president of Saratoga Human Resource Solutions. He said for companies to attract and retain the best workers, they must offer more than just a competitive wage and benefits package.

“You’ve got to have a value proposition. If you try to buy loyalty through pay raises, you’ll eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. You have to incorporate a ‘cultural’ component into your work environment,” said Marco.

He said people are looking for a “safe” workplace – one that fosters a culture of problem-solving rather than assigning blame. He stressed the need for managers and supervisors to develop positive relationships with their staff.

“The command and control models just don’t work anymore,” said Marco, citing as an example one of his clients, who greets everyone one of his employees each morning. While that may seem like a small, even trivial gesture, it goes a long way toward creating the kind of culture of trust and teamwork that is so important in today’s workplace.

As workers become increasingly more mobile, establishing the culture of mutual respect and teamwork is more critical to getting and keeping the best people.

John Kuznia, CPA, SPHR, and owner of Truman Solutions in Saratoga Springs, said his clients are finding it hard to get the right people in the right seats.

Business Report: New York’s Paid Family Leave

August 3, 2017

Noreen DeWire Grimmick is a partner with the Hodgson Russ law firm.
Courtesy Hodgson Russ

By Noreen DeWire Grimmick, Esq.

An important piece of new legislation was executed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in April 2016 providing paid family leave.

Paid leave will be phased in over a 4 year period beginning in Jan. 1, 2018. To be eligible, employees must work a minimum 26 consecutive weeks prior to applying for paid leave.

Paid leave may be taken to provide care to a family member suffering from a serious health issue; to bond with a child during the first 12 months after birth, adoption, or foster care placement; or to attend to obligations because a spouse, parent, or child is on active duty or has been notified of a pending call into active duty in the U.S. armed forces.

Notably, this law does not provide coverage for an employee’s own serious health condition, but that event would likely trigger already existing disability insurance coverage and is, of of course, subject to FMLA under federal law.

Phasing in of these new regulations begins in 2018. Employees who qualify for paid leave under the act will be entitled to 50 percent of their pay (with a pay cap equal to 50 percent of the statewide weekly average pay) for a period of 8 weeks. When fully phased in, in 2021, eligible employees will be entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave at 67 percent of their weekly pay (capped at 67 percent of the statewide average weekly pay).

Intermittent paid family leave is also available under the new law.

This legislation will impact more employers in New York state than the FMLA. All employers who fall under the scope of the state Workers Compensation Law will be obligated to provide paid family leave. New York employers may either self-insure for paid leave, or they may purchase an insurance policy from their disability benefits carrier to finance paid leave. This program is financed similarly to the way that workers’ compensation benefits and disability benefits are financed, through payroll deductions.