Saratoga Business Journal

Saratoga Olive Oil Opens Store/Warehouse In Moreau, Eyes Popup Shop In New York City

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

This new Saratoga Olive Oil store in Moreau has a 7,500-square-feet of warehouse space and 3,000 square feet of retail space.
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth
The success of Saratoga Olive Oil has led to an expansion with a new store at 1341 Saratoga Road in Moreau.
The company opened a facility that has a 7,500-square-foot warehouse and 3,000 square feet of retail space.
Owner Clint Braidwood said they had been searching the last couple years for a warehouse facility. He came close to purchasing land and building a warehouse with Munter Enterprises in W.J. Grande. Industrial Park, however, John Munter, owner of Munter Enterprises, suggested that they look into the facility in Moreau.
“He thought it would be a great fit for us. It was indeed a perfect fit for Saratoga Olive Oil Company. We now have warehouse space, the ability to expand our warehouse and corporate offices, a front retail space and a photo room in our front building,” said Braidwood.
The new spot will offer discounted and discontinued items, as well as bulk items, a concept Braidwood anticipates will do well.
Braidwood founded the business with his wife Barbara and brother Chad Braidwood in 2011. He said when the pandemic hit, they were all worried.

Saratoga Subaru Donates $25,000 To Hospital’s Women’s Health Services Unit

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Dr. Jennifer Lefner of Saratoga Hospital holds a ceremonial check. Courtesy Saratoga Hospital

Saratoga Subaru recently donated $25,000 to support renovations to Saratoga Hospital’s William J. Hickey Women’s Health Services unit and help get babies and families off to a healthy start.
The gift, which was presented Oct. 2, is the dealership’s second contribution for the mother/baby unit project. Last year, the company donated $18,444, for a combined gift of $43,444.
“These contributions from Saratoga Subaru will help us provide families and babies with the best possible birth experience,” said Angelo Calbone, Saratoga Hospital president and CEO. “The gifts also are a wonderful reminder of how fortunate we are to serve a community that has been unwavering in its support for Saratoga Hospital for 125 years. We thank the team at Saratoga Subaru for their generosity and for continuing that proud tradition.”
Both gifts are funded by Subaru of America’s annual Share the Love Event. During the holiday season, Subaru of America “shares the love” by donating $250 for each new Subaru that’s purchased or leased at a participating dealer—in this case, Saratoga Subaru, which is part of Mackey Auto Group.

Integrated Staffing Moves New Headquarters To 463 Maple Avenue In Saratoga Springs

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Dhianna Yezzi, in front, co-owner of Integrated Staffing, poses with her staff in front of the company’s new headquarters on Maple Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Like many businesses during the corona virus pandemic, Integrated Staffing is having “a weird year,” according to co-owner Dhianna Yezzi. In the midst of it, the company moved from Glens Falls into new, larger space at 463 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
Integrated Staffing is a locally owned and operated temporary, temporary-to-permanent, and permanent staffing agency.
The new headquarters was once a house. An addition to the front of the building provides office space for five people in an open space off the former front foyer. Construction began before the pandemic but was halted because of it.
“It took about two years, but we finally have our addition,” she said. Its former office at 22 Hudson St. in Glens Falls is currently vacant but “we have the space and can open if needed.”
The company’s Albany satellite office is open by appointment only.

Business Report: Cybersecurity Is Different, So Treat It So

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Mark Shaw, president and CEO of Stored Technology Solutions Inc. (StoredTech).

By Mark Shaw
Businesses are starting to wake up to the growing need for cybersecurity. Your worlds have changed, and everyone rushed on day one in April to take their computers home, get VPNs set up and now you are in a mixed state.
Some staff are home, others are in the office full time, others swing in and out of the office on a flexible schedule. This has produced some wonderful changes in the way we work; it has also provided cyber criminals a series of new methods to attack.
What we are seeing is a growing need to treat cybersecurity differently. This is not an IT problem. Your internal or external technology resources should not be the same. You need to consider a clear separation of church and state in your organization.
Why? I`m sure you are asking why would you need a second company involved in your day to day technology? I have an IT team, why do I need someone else? I have an outsourced IT firm, why wouldn’t they be good enough? Let`s spend a few moments and discuss the rationale for having a separate and completely distinct cybersecurity firm.
Would you go to your dentist and ask them to check out a pain in your foot? Would you hand over all cash flow to one person with no oversight? Probably not, right?

Business Report: October 2020

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Rose Miller is president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC.

By Rose Miller
As fall and winter approach, employers will not only have to plan for the on-going pandemic, but they must also address the challenges faced by working parents, a stressed workforce, decisions involving onsite versus a remote workforce and possibly shutting down again.
These decisions involve creating comprehensive and legally compliant policies and procedures.
It is also a time for employers to think about a comprehensive approach to its company’s benefits. Like every aspect of the business, employers need to assess how the pandemic has impacted their entire benefit offering. They need to also consider how new federal and state mandated leaves interplay with paid time off policies and insurance benefits. Based on their findings, they may want to revise what type of benefits are critical to both the company and its employees.
According to the annual MetLife Benefit Trends Survey for 2020, generational demographics show a glimpse on how businesses should revise their benefit offerings and possibly reallocate funds to better meet employee needs.

COVID Exposure Notification Mobile App Launched By New York, New Jersey Officials

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

New York and New Jersey launched COVID-19 exposure notification mobile apps in their respective states that officials claim will serve as crucial tools to supplement the effort to trace and contact individuals subject to a COVID exposure.
The apps, COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert NJ, notify users of potential COVID-19 exposure while maintaining user privacy and security.
The states join Pennsylvania and Delaware in creating a regional COVID Alert app network that operates across state lines to stop the spread of COVID-19. Connecticut has also will launch the Exposure Notification System in the coming weeks.
The free mobile apps-available to anyone 18 or older who lives, works, or attends college in New York or New Jersey-are available for download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
“We have a very exciting announcement that has taken a lot of work and it’s really creative and smart and I think it can make a big difference. This is a technology-based contact tracing app. Testing is only as good as your contact tracing,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “Testing is to identify a person, so you can isolate and quarantine that person and then find the connections from that person, and that’s contact tracing. We have about 15,000 people statewide who do contact tracing, they call them disease detectives. But we’ve been looking for a technology-based solution. And today, we are announcing an app that you can download for free from the app store called COVID Alert NY.

New Building On Beekman Street Designed To Fit Into Arts District And Still Be Modern

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

SD Atelier Architecture LLC in Saratoga Springs designed this building in the Beekman Street Arts District, set where a fenced-in vacant lot existed for years.
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Christine Graf
Twelve years ago, Susan Davis completed the design of a two-story mixed-use building at 65 Beekman St. in Saratoga Springs. Davis, a principal architect at SD Atelier Architecture LLC, was hired by the woman who owned the vacant 5,200-square-foot property at the time.
SD Atelier Architecture, in Saratoga Springs, is owned by Davis and her husband, fellow architect Don Davis. During their 25 years of working in Saratoga, they have designed numerous residential and commercial properties both locally and in the Adirondacks. Current projects include Elk Lake Lodge, a historic hunting and fishing lodge in North Hudson, and Schroon Lake Community Church, a historic church that was destroyed by fire in early 2019.

F.H. Alexander Constructs Striking Building In Schenectady For New Alltown Fresh Group

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

This building in Schenectady houses Alltown Fresh, the first such store in New York state owned by Global Partners LP. It was built by F.H. Alexander Inc..
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Alltown Fresh on Erie Boulevard in Schenectady is a cross between a farmers’ market and a convenience store housed in a striking gabled building. Its builder, Frank H. Alessandrini, owner of F.H. Alexander Inc., of Schacticoke, was so pleased with the result that they chose it for their September advertising campaign.
“It’s a great looking store,” said Alessandrini, who said the project was the first of its kind in New York state.
The 4,800-square-foot market focuses on creating an elevated, farm stand-like experience by providing a menu of healthy options such as made-to-order all-day breakfast, fresh salads, smoothies, sandwiches, bowls, and more, the company said.
“It was a great job,” said Kevin Doyle, director of the project management office for Global Partners LP, the company that owns Alltown Fresh. “We are very happy and pleased with the work they did for us.”
“You walk in and it’s ‘Wow,’” said Martha Sullivan, a marketing person with Global Partners.

Governmental Data Says Employment Is Slow In Nonresidential Construction Sector

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Construction employment increased nationally by 26,000 jobs in September to a total of 7,245,000, but the gains were concentrated in housing, while employment in the infrastructure and nonresidential building construction sector remained little changed, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released Oct. 2.
Association officials said the pandemic was prompting strong demand for new housing as more Americans work from home, while undermining private-sector development of office, retail and other types of projects and forcing many local and state governments to cut construction budgets.
“Construction is becoming steadily more split between a robust residential component and generally stagnant private nonresidential and public construction activity,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, noting that in the three months since June, residential construction employment has increased nearly 3 percent while nonresidential employment has slipped 0.2 percent. “As project cancellations mount, so too will job losses on the nonresidential side unless the federal government provides funding for infrastructure and relief for contractors.”

Program To Cut Pollution At Commercial High Rise And Multi-Family Properties

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

The state has launched a $50 million initiative to transform existing commercial high-rise buildings and multifamily buildings to substantially reduce the carbon footprint of these structures.
The challenge will advance low-carbon retrofit approaches resulting in heating and cooling solutions that will increase the comfort, sustainability, and energy performance of the state’s existing high-rise buildings, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, state officials said.
Buildings currently account for 45 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion and electric generation, officials said.
“New York is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing renewable energy resources that will grow our economy and advance our nation-leading plan to fight climate change,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “The Empire Building Challenge leverages public-private partnerships with leading industry experts and helps New York to continue its rich legacy of environmental stewardship in order to protect our natural resources for future generations.”
Through a comprehensive retrofitting process, infrastructure in existing buildings will be replaced with more energy efficient heating and cooling technologies and solutions, spurring new jobs and significant economic activity. According to a 2019 analysis by Urban Green Council, if all buildings choose efficiency to meet their carbon goals, the retrofit market opportunity in New York City could be over $20 billion by 2030 while creating over 100,000 jobs by 2030.