Category Archives: Business News

By Jill Nagy

Saratoga attorney Debra Whitson is on a mission to keep divorce clients out of court. She advocates and if possible practices collaborative divorce or mediated divorce, processes that empower the parties to resolve issues such as property division and child custody without litigation.

She explained that the parties can resolve the issues between themselves before consulting attorneys. She calls that do-it-yourself divorce. If that fails, they can bring in a neutral third party to mediate. The mediator can keep the conversation going and help the parties work things out. In mediation, each party is usually represented by an attorney. In a collaborative divorce, the parties are joined at the table by experts to assist with issues of property valuation, child welfare, and others. A divorce coach heads the team. A litigated divorce “is the last stop on the train,” said Whitson.

Resolving issues at the courthouse, that last stop, can be heart wrenching, especially for children, Whitson argues. It is also costly. Legal fees for a litigated divorce can reach $100,000 or more; the total cost, to both parties, for a collaborative divorce typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000. The reduction in emotional cost, may be even greater.

By Rod Bacon

Three business associates have parleyed their experience in the hospitality industry into a new venture serving a variety of comfort foods.

Kevin Joyce, Jimmy Murphy and Erika Fass opened The Post Pizza & More in Middle Grove over Memorial Day weekend. It is located in the United States Post Office building in an area that once housed The Post Cafe. Joyce has owned the building for years, and when the cafe closed the pizza parlor was born. 

 Prior to opening the pizza parlor, Joyce owned Tinny’s on Lake Desolation for 10 years, with Fass serving as general manager. Murphy has extensive experience creating unique pizza dishes and was brought into the business as the pizza chef.

While the search is on to expand their staff, the partners currently do the majority of the work.

“Everything is made here,” said Murphy. “We make the dough here. We make the sauce here.”

The menu includes breakfast sandwiches, slices of pizza, a 16-inch pizza, a 12-inch cauliflower pizza, a pepperoni roll and a Caesar salad.

They are experimenting with rotating offerings such as a hamburger special and quesadillas.

Since 1956, family-owned shipyard Comitti has been building bespoke, heirloom-quality boats in Lake Como, Italy, that are prized by discerning yachtsman, families and superyacht owners alike for their timeless lines, Italian craftsmanship and high level of customization. Now, these elegant runabouts and tenders, which range from 22 feet to 42 feet, are being offered exclusively in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean through newly formed distributor Comitti North America, headquartered in Saratoga Springs. 

Among the models Comitti North America is introducing to the North American market year are the new 25’8” One 780 and 32’6” Isola 33, as well as a “super custom,” bespoke version of the popular Venezia 28 model paying homage to Comitti and many of the most coveted European runabouts from the ’60s and ’70s.  Each of these models is now making its U.S. debut. Comitti North America also has several other Comitti models located in the U.S. available for viewing by prospective dealers and retail clients.

Comitti North America was founded this spring by Christopher and Chris Mackey, a father-and-son team who have made their mark in the luxury automobile industry over the last 30 years and have recently stepped out on their own with Mackey Auto Group, authorized factory sales and service provider for multiple internationally recognized brands with dealerships throughout upstate New York.

By Paul Post

All-sources and average daily handle were both up and paid attendance totaled more than 1 million at this year’s Saratoga Race Course meet, despite the loss of a full day’s action because of severe weather.

The addition of Saratoga’s first-ever, four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in June generated significant extra momentum for the regular summer meet, which concluded on Labor Day Monday, September 2.

Combined with major entertainment at other venues such as Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the impact was extremely positive for local businesses.

“Our lodging partners had a strong summer season actualizing year over year growth in both occupancy and average daily rate,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri said. “June alone saw a nearly 20 percent increase in revenue year over year due to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. These strong increases came off a record year for lodging in 2023.”

“The unique combination of the Belmont Stakes and our traditional summer meet created a vibrant atmosphere that drew visitors from near and far, benefiting restaurants, shops and other local businesses,” he said. “These events not only strengthened our economy, but also once again reinforced the fact that Saratoga Springs is a world-class destination for horse racing, and helped to shine a spotlight on our destination as a whole; that we can host world-class events in Saratoga County.”

The Saratoga Springs City Center Authority Board has announced the appointment of Dorothy Rogers-Bullis as the new chairperson. Rogers-Bullis, owner of drb business interiors, has been a board member since 2017, and officially assumed her new role in June 2024.

Rogers-Bullis brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her new position. As a successful entrepreneur, she has demonstrated strong leadership and business acumen. Her deep-rooted connections within the community and her enthusiasm for the role are expected to significantly benefit the City Center, and its future endeavors.

Saratoga City Center Executive Director Ryan McMahon said, “I’m excited to welcome Dorothy as the new chairperson of the City Center Authority Board. Her enthusiasm, business expertise, and positive connections in the community will be a tremendous asset for the City Center.”

By Jill Nagy

Empty deposit bottles and cans are swiftly processed at a rate of 600 per minute through a high-speed six-lane chute by new counting machines at Rocket Recycling’s recently opened location, 112 Excelsior Avenue in the EBI Beverage Center—its third facility. 

“We saw a need here for high volume processing,” said Tyler Russell, owner along with his wife, Julia Sanzen, of the company. He said that the company processes tens of thousands of bottles and cans each day at each of its three locations. Previously, empty containers were sorted by hand, a slow and expensive process. Russell estimates that the new sorting machine does the job 100 times faster than the reverse vending machines at the grocery store. The average customer brings in hundreds of recyclable containers at a time, Russell said,  and in the summer they may bring in thousands. The new sorter allows them to “get their money and get out very quickly.”

Russell described their newest sorter at the Queensbury store as “very complicated and very expensive,” and noted that it was developed by another New York state company. The machine reads the bar codes on the containers and sorts them by size and distributor. Sixty days later, the scrap aluminum from a redeemed can is part of a new can. Glass containers are, for the most part, are ground into sand, he said.

Allerdice Building Supply has announced a significant charitable contribution of $4,975 to Kelly’s Angels, an organization dedicated to helping children who have lost a parent or sibling to cancer or other illness. 

This donation represents 100 percent of the proceeds from Allerdice Building Supply’s annual golf outing.

The check presentation took place on August 7 at Allerdice Ace Hardware’s Malta location. 

Mark Mulholland, founder of Kelly’s Angels, was present to accept the donation. Kelly’s Angels was established in honor of his late wife, Kelly, who lost her battle with cancer. The charity provides financial assistance and unique “Fun Grants” to children who have lost a parent or sibling, allowing them to experience moments of joy during difficult times.

By Christine Graf

At Saratoga Hospital, registered dietitians (RD) serve as an integral part of the treatment team. Credentialed healthcare professionals, dietitians apply their knowledge of nutrition to develop individualized dietary strategies, ones designed to meet the unique needs of each patient. 

Lisa Hodgson, the hospital’s clinical nutrition manager, is responsible for a staff of 16 registered dietitians. “I oversee a team of dietitians—an inpatient team, and an outpatient team that works in primary care. We also have dietitians that work in our bariatric surgery and weight loss program as well as in our endocrinology office,” said Hodgson, a clinical registered dietitian, certified dietitian nutritionist, and certified diabetes educator who has been working at Saratoga Hospital for 17 years. 

On the inpatient side, RDs work with hospitalized patients with conditions that may be impacted by their nutrition status. Inpatient dietitians are also responsible for patients who require tube feedings or other more complex interventions.