By Christine Graf
Glens Falls business owner Robin Barkenhagen recently opened a second location of his 42° ventures. The new glass gallery and smoke shop is located in Ellsworth Plaza on Route 9 in Malta.
Last year, he relocated his Glens Falls store from Park Street to the Colvin Building at 206 Glen St. The building was purchased for $945,000 in January 2019 by Brian Bronzino, part owner of 42°. Barkenhagen and Bronzino entered into their partnership in 2018.
The first 42° opened in 2010, and the move to the larger store on Glen Street allowed Barkenhagen to expand his product line.
Both stores feature glass products that are handmade by more than 100 independent glass artists throughout the United States, he said. Convenience store items are also sold at the Glens Falls location.
“We sell things like cigarettes and vape products,” he said. “Our glass gallery features high-end glass. We have pipes ranging from $15 to $80, and our most expensive piece is $40,000. It’s a glass chess board that’s in our window in Glens Falls.
“Some people buy our glass and use it as decorations. There are collectors around the country that will seek out some of these blowers that we have that are nationally and internationally known,” Barkenhagen said.
Salon 8 Owner Brought Her Business From Vermont To Her Home In Saratoga Springs
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Nicole Loscalzo is making a career out of something that she loves to do and in a new space that is serving her well. As owner of Salon 8, she has brought her passion for hair color to Saratoga.
Loscalzo first opened her business in Vermont. Before that, she was working as a flight attendant. But everything changed after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“After the 9/11 attacks, I was furloughed from my job and I thought what now? I decided to go to cosmetology school on a whim. I wasn’t even that serious about it, but I found that I absolutely loved it. I have been doing hair ever since,” she said.
Later, Loscalzo decided to make a change and thought Saratoga would work as a new location. She likes that it is close enough to Vermont for her loyal customers to travel to her and at the same time, it gives her a bigger pool of clients.
“Being right off of (Northway) Exit 15, I’ve been able to keep my Vermont customers who are willing to make the drive. I am starting to bring in more local people, and of course I am so thankful for that,” said Loscalzo.
Red Roof Inn, Under New Management, Steps Up Renovations To Meet COVID Rules
By Erin Nudi
Alan Schnurman took over ownership of the Red Roof Inn in Clifton Park in 2018. In June of this year, he made a change in management and renovations, which had been ongoing slowly, moved forward in earnest.
“Things are run differently now,” said Elaine Swain, the new general manager. Kemanni Gang is also part of the new management team as operations manager.
Swain said the team is re-focusing the hotel’s upgrades and its hospitality mission while adhering to the new COVID regulations.
All of the rooms underwent major renovations in 2019. They now have laminate flooring instead of carpet, which adds safety and cleanliness, two aspects of staying at a hotel that many think about today, she said.
Other upgrades in the guest rooms include a workspace, microwave and refrigerator. A guest laundry room was added and there are plans for the addition of a truck parking lot.
COVID-19 Causes Adirondack Thunder Team To Opt Out Of The ECHL Season
The Adirondack Thunder hockey team, the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils that plays its games at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, is opting out of the 2020-21 season.
The Thunder joined the rest of the North Division in the decision to not play.
The Adirondack Hockey Coalition LLC and Adirondack Civic Center Coalition said in a statement that the Adirondack Thunder will not be able to participate in the 2020-21 ECHL season “due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s guidelines on permitting no fans inside the arena.
“We were hopeful that government restrictions would ease up as we approached the time we needed to declare our formal intentions for the season. Unfortunately, we are unable to have any fans in attendance for the foreseeable future and cannot sustain a season without fans,” officials said.
The North Division of the ECHL is comprised of six teams including Adirondack, Worcester, Maine, Reading, Brampton, and Newfoundland.
“We knew this season would be a challenge regardless of any state restrictions on fans in the arena,” officials said. “We had worked on numerous contingency plans to socially distance fans and to ensure a clean, safe environment, and to fully abide by all state-imposed guidelines. We were ready to play at a 50 percent capacity, knowing it would be difficult to operate at that capacity.
“We know the disappointment our fans, coaches, players, staff, and community share with this announcement. Our focus going forward will be to start the planning for the 2021-22 season.”
Stewart’s Shops Acquisition Of Red-Kap Adds Gasoline Distribution Services, A Few Stores
Stewart’s Shops is announced it is expanding its fuel distribution business with the acquisition of Red-Kap, a locally owned, family run business.
Stewart’s officials said the company will acquire eight convenience stores, three car washes, a 75-plus dealer network and fuel distribution business.
Under the terms of the agreement, Stewart’s will maintain the branding of the Mobil, Citgo, and Sunoco stations and will convert a few of the Red-Kap locations into Stewart’s Shops.
“Stewart’s has always respected the business and our long personal relationship with the Kaplans and their team,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake. “Doing business with people who respect people is always a pleasure. Both organizations come from long local family histories that have helped form the communities where we live.
“The acquisition will add eight corporately run locations and a significant addition of gasoline supply and distribution to local stations. Stewart’s prides itself on vertical integration and support. In the age of COVID-19, with an ever-changing business climate, we look forward to extending this support to the distributor/dealer network.”
Red-Kap, based in Schenectady, owns eight convenience stores from Saratoga to Loudonville, Troy, East Greenbush, and as far west as the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville.
Executive Woods Mixed-Use Park Will See Expansion; 50 New Apartment Units Planned
By Susan Elise Campbell
DCG Development Co. has planned an expansion of residential space in Executive Woods, one of three mixed-use office parks the company has near the intersection of Route 9 and Route 146 in Clifton Park.
According to Donald MacElroy, DCG vice president, the project will include completely re-purposing an existing structure. They will also build a new one. The result will be a total 50 rental units that MacElroy said will appeal to the middle market.
“New apartments have not been built in Clifton Park in many years,” said MacElroy. “As products age and grow out of use, others step in to take over.”
MacElroy said there is “pent-up demand for apartments, particularly new construction.” He expects that middle-income jobs will continue coming into the area because “many of the businesses springing up around that intersection are health care facilities, bringing in new employment opportunities.”
Executive Woods is on the north side of Route 146 and has a two-story, 20,000-square-foot professional office building that will be converted into 34 rental units, he said. Floor plans are being developed. All walls and partitions will be removed and new utility systems installed.
Malta Website Seeks To Promote ‘Great Things’ And Become Conduit For Business Investors
The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Malta announced a new website to feature “all the great things” about the town.
The new web presence is targeted toward promoting the good things happening in Malta, officials said, while also serving as an economic development conduit for businesses considering investing in the town.
The new site, www.MaltaWorks.org, is an outgrowth of the work of the town’s Economic Development Committee. The committee last year launched the Malta Works promotional campaign to promote existing businesses and encourage investment from new businesses. Officials said the website is the next step in that project, providing a one-stop portal for anyone considering doing business in Malta.
The site will be administered and maintained by Chamber staff at no cost to the town.
“This new website is a great next step for our Malta Works campaign to show the world that Malta is a great place to do business,” said Malta Supervisor Darren O’Connor. “Our entire town government has worked tirelessly for several years to improve the business climate, while keeping our small town charm. This website is a great window into that effort and I hope businesses and investors find that for whatever their need, Malta Works.”
Building within the framework of the Chamber’s existing site, the Malta Works presence will benefit from the hundreds of thousands of unique views the Chamber website enjoys annually, boosting awareness of all the Town has to offer, he said.
New Book By Brian Rollo Aims To Help People Accept And Acclimate To Leadership Roles
Andrea Harwood Palmer
Brian Rollo, a leadership coach and cultural business strategist, has published a new book, “The 10 Habits of Influential Leaders”.
“I wrote this as an actionable handbook for someone who is a people-manager struggling to get results,” said Rollo, who operates his consulting company out of Queensbury. “I highlight the top 10 things that help people-managers get better. Things people can do to get results from their team, and to make leading a team a little less miserable.”
“I tell the story of how I first became a manager, and really struggled in the beginning,” he said. “And I did a lot of research, reading over 50 white papers. I tried to be the channel to distill everything I learned throughout my career, and through extensive research.”
Rollo said the predominant struggle is that some people struggle to step into an authority role. “They may have the title, but they’re afraid to do anything because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,.”
Others grasp authority too hard. “They need everyone to know they’re the boss,” he said.
“Both approaches are a road to trouble,” said Rollo. “I address this in the book. It usually plays out in how people deal with conflict.”
“It’s easy to be the boss when everyone just says, ‘I agree, I’ll do whatever you say’. But most of the time it is not like that. In real life, there is frequently conflict. When you’re a team member, you can try to stay in your own world. When you’re a leader, you cannot just ignore it when your team is in conflict. You must be the one to step up and deal with it. If you’re uncomfortable with that, the conflict grows,” said Rollo.
Some managers are in their role through merit, some develop management skills through training, and some land in their position by default of being the only person available when the previous director leaves, he noted.
Saratoga Springs Launches Grant Program To Help Businesses Retain Low-Income Workers
The City of Saratoga Springs Office of Community Development has launched a COVID 19 Small Business Grant (SBG) program for local businesses.
SBG, administered locally by the city Office of Community Development, is funded by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
All applicants must agree to federal program requirements.
Officials said SBG serves to preserve jobs held by low-income employees who would otherwise be lost due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city can provide relief to small businesses through the provision of 25 to 51 grants of $ 5,000-$10,000 in working capital.
Grant funds may be utilized in a variety of creative ways in order to support the small business, generate income, and ultimately preserve the jobs of low income employees, officials said. These uses may include, but are not limited to: payroll, rent or mortgage payments, utilities, purchase/rental of equipment to facilitate the outdoor conduct of business during winter months, purchase and installation of items and equipment that reduce risk of coronavirus transmission.
Low income is defined as adjusted-gross yearly wages of $33,950 or less, as evidenced by the employer’s most recent payroll records.
Applicants must employ less than 50 people and be able to demonstrate extreme financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sufficient documentation must be provided to indicate that the jobs to be retained would be lost without SBG support.
‘Luzerne Productions’ Video Company Works With Nonprofits To Help With Fundraising
by Andrea Harwood Palmer
“We do a lot of work for nonprofits,” said Bob English, who owns and operates Luzerne Productions, a video production company he opened in 2002.
“It’s such a necessary part of service. For nonprofits, especially right now with the COVID-19 problem, fundraising is a challenge. Everyone needs to raise money.”
He believes his company can help in that regard.
Luzerne Productions is responsible for many videos shown at area nonprofit fundraisers every year. Most recently they produced a fundraising video for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
“What usually happens with annual fundraisers is: You get everybody in a room with some cocktails and food, you tell them about your service,” said English. “Then you show them a nice video and people say, ‘Wow, I wanna help’ because the people there are altruistic anyway or they wouldn’t be there to begin with. A video at a fundraiser is great because you have a captive audience. You show a video for 2-3 minutes, and if they’re wiping away a tear when you turn the lights back on, then I’ve done my job. That’s how I know I’ve been successful.”
With COVID-19, people can’t congregate in person.