Category Archives: Business News

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce recognized Cindy Schmehl with the 2022 Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year Award.

She received the award in may at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.

The Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes and honors one community member annually who embodies a spirit of dedication, passion, innovation, and commitment to improving the community by working or volunteering for more than one non-profit organization.

“Our impact sector greatly benefits from individuals like Cindy Schmehl,” chamber president Todd Shimkus said in a press release. “Cindy’s tireless dedication to To Love a Child, as well as numerous other Saratoga County organizations, ensures our neighbors throughout the community are supported and provided with the services they need and deserve. We look forward to honoring her and her efforts to make a difference in our community.”

For more than a decade, Schmehl has dedicated her time and energy to helping people not only in Saratoga County but also in less fortunate parts of the world, including Zimbabwe and Haiti. Since founding the organization in 2009, Schmehl has acted in the volunteer position of executive director of To Love a Child, leading its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to impoverished children and their families to help create a better future and quality of life for all.

Through To Love a Child, Schmehl has spearheaded the construction of a school in Zimbabwe and worked with other team members to provide medical care, education, solar, gardens, food and other opportunities for people and families in remote villages.

By Christine Graf

When South Glens Falls native Steven Brodt was 5 years old, he had what he would later consider a paranormal experience. 

He said while sleeping over at his grandmother’s house, he woke in the middle of the night and saw an old woman sitting at the end of his bed. Ten years later, Brodt saw a picture of his great grandmother for the first time and surmised she was the woman he saw when he was 5.

“I can still picture her to this day. It was very clear and very real. As I got older, I became very interested in how it was possible that I saw what I saw,” he said.

When he was 16, Brodt and a friend established a nonprofit group called the South Glens Falls Paranormal Society. They purchased digital voice recorders, night vision cameras, handheld video cameras, and electromagnetic field detectors and offered free paranormal investigative services to the community.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor store in the heart of Saratoga Springs is poised to expand curbside, delivery and online retail services.

The move is one that the current generation of owners, Brandan Greczkowski and his wife Kristen, has looked forward to implementing for many years.

“There will always be a need for a brick and mortar presence where shoppers can come and get help in the store,” Greczkowski said. “But long before COVID I had planned to offer online services.”

State-mandated capacity limits in the early months of the pandemic posed obstacles for smaller stores in the community and some, Greczkowski noted, moved much of their business online. 

“Being a bigger store, we got a lot of their foot traffic,” he said. “But the name of Purdy’s had been out there and synonymous with wine well before COVID.”

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has signed on to be one of the major sponsors of the Saratoga Women In Business (WIB) Spectacular, the first-ever horse show created by women, operated by women, benefitting women’s health, and showcasing women in business. 

Scheduled for July 13-17, the one-of-a-kind event will be held at White Hollow Farm, 28 Brickhouse Road in Stillwater.

It is open to all competitors in the equestrian community, spectators and vendors.

Exhibitors and attendees will be offered multiple opportunities throughout the show to meet, interact with, listen to, and learn from many remarkable women, in all types of business, willing to share their stories and career paths. 

Proceeds from this event will help fund Wellspring, which provides domestic violence and sexual assault services for Saratoga County residents, and Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship Veteran and Active-Duty Military Program, as well as other women’s health organizations.

Saratoga CoWorks, a coworking provider in Upstate New York catering to professionals, entrepreneurs, and remote employees since 2014, is opening its third downtown Saratoga Springs location.

Located at 92 Congress St. on the second floor, the 5,000-square-foot space will feature flexible private offices and suites, meeting spaces and shared coworking areas, for rent by the day, week or month, ownership said.

This newest Saratoga CoWorks location is being completely renovated by the organization’s cofounders, Daniel Bullis and Dorothy Rogers-Bullis (who also own drb Business Interiors), prior to the grand opening in August. The facility, which has ample natural light, will feature a modern aesthetic with top-quality, ergonomic office furniture, they said.

The space also will have state-of-the-art technology including enterprise-class WiFi, and rentable conference/meeting rooms equipped with projectors and Apple TVs. Free on-site parking, a new kitchen, and comfortable breakroom seating is also included.

“All of our Saratoga CoWorks locations offer fully remote, hybrid and other independent workers the comforts of home with the amenities of a traditional office,” said Bullis. “This newest location, however, is uniquely designed to meet the needs of professionals with private offices and suites featuring soundproof floor-to-ceiling glass to ensure privacy and a quiet work environment.”

Rogers-Bullis emphasizes the value that coworking provides to individuals as well as companies.

AMC Theatres, said to be the largest theatrical exhibitor in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, has finalized a deal with Bow Tie Cinemas to purchase and operate seven locations including its theaters in Saratoga Springs.

Bow Tie has other facilities in upstate New York, Connecticut and Annapolis, Md.

Marquis 16, Royale 6, SoNo 8 (formerly Regent 8), Majestic 6 and Landmark 8 join the AMC circuit in the Connecticut market.

Adam Aron, chairman and CEO of AMC, said the acquisition “is exciting for AMC, our shareholders and many moviegoers in the northeastern United States. Our theatre acquisition strategy makes AMC a better and stronger company as we move forward on our glidepath to recovery. Acquiring these locations is especially notable for our expansion in Connecticut, where we are more than doubling our presence. We are encouraged to bring the magic of AMC to more and more theatres across the country.” 

Officials said the acquisition more than doubles AMC’s presence in the state of Connecticut. In addition, AMC adds Saratoga Springs 11 in upstate New York and Annapolis Mall 11 in Annapolis, Md. AMC intends to retain all theatre associates at the newly acquired theatres.

AMC remains in active discussions with other property owners regarding additional locations.

As part of the nation’s effort to sustain the microelectronics manufacturing capability necessary for national and economic security, and in support of an executive order entitled America’s Supply Chains, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $117 million agreement to GlobalFoundries. 

GlobalFoundries, headquartered  in Malta,  will transfer its 45 nanometer (nm) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor manufacturing process from its Fab 10 facility in East Fishkill, to its Fab 8 facility in Malta, the defense department announced in a press release.

The effort is a follow-on from an $8 million award issued last year through which GlobalFoundries conducted initial engineering baseline activities for the transfer. 

Federal officials said the agreement will ensure access to 45nm SOI semiconductors critical to Department of Defense strategic systems.

The agreement is the latest collaboration in the longstanding partnership between the Department of Defense and GlobalFoundries to provide silicon-based semiconductors for defense aerospace applications.

“GlobalFoundries is proud to be a longtime supplier to the U.S. government, and we remain deeply committed to meeting the semiconductor technology needs of the Department of Defense, as well as the technologies so critical to our national security,” said  company CEO Tom Caulfield. “The strong public-private partnership demonstrated with this new supply and tech transfer agreement is an excellent example of the impact federal collaboration and investment in semiconductor manufacturing can have on strengthening domestic supply chains. Our partnership boosts the national economy, while also securing a strategic and reliable supply of chips needed by the U.S. government for aerospace, defense, and other mission-critical applications.”

L. Clifford Van Wagner was named the 2022 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award recipient and will be honored during the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s 103rd annual dinner on May 17. 

He will also be joined by Julie Stokes who received the award in 2021. This will be the first time in two years the Chamber has hosted its annual dinner in person. Due to the pandemic, Stokes was unable to accept her award in person last year and will be appropriately recognized this year.

Currently the director of pharmacy at Wesley Health Care, Van Wagner first joined Wesley in 1976 and became the director of pharmacy in 1978. 

He joins a distinguished set of past recipients, Steve Sullivan (2018); Tom Roohan (2019); John Munter, Sr. (2020); and Julie Stokes (2021) as award recipients.

“It’s my great pleasure to congratulate and honor Cliff for his outstanding service and dedication to Saratoga County for more than 40 years,” said Todd Shimkus, Chamber president. “Cliff’s servant leadership, extensive community involvement, and gracious support of many organizations throughout the county exemplifies and solidifies his passion and commitment to making Saratoga County a great place to live, work, and visit.”

Charles Pinckney of Saratoga Springs was recently named M&T Bank regional president for New York’s Capital Region,  a market where the bank has grown its local deposit share while remaining the area’s top commercial mortgage lender.

M&T Bank has a branch in Clifton Park.

Pinckney will take on the added regional leadership responsibilities while remaining in a senior role supporting commercial real estate, middle market, healthcare and not-for-profit businesses.

“Charles has made a substantial impact for our customers and communities in his 14 years with M&T. He has helped companies throughout the region secure funding and adopt customized solutions to launch big projects and new initiatives, remaining focused on ensuring his work contributes to inclusive growth and strengthens the community,” said Mike Keegan, M&T Bank’s executive vice president and head of community banking.

“Our unique community model empowers local leaders to combine their banking expertise with a deep understanding of their region in order to deliver a differentiated customer experience and uplift our communities. With his local knowledge and personal commitment to making a difference in people’s lives, Charles will be an outstanding leader for this region.”