Saratoga Business Journal

Mechanical Testing Inc. Moves Into Using Drones As Part Of Its HVAC Testing Services

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Eileen Venn now employs the use of drones in her business, Mechanical Testing Inc.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

by Susan E. Campbell
Eileen Venn and her husband Brian have passed the 10-year milestone since purchasing Mechanical Testing Inc., a company that tests and balances the air flow and air quality of HVAC systems.
According to Venn, not only has the company doubled its growth in terms of sales, but it has also recently engaged in a related side business in another technology growth industry: distributing UAVs, also known as drones.
“We started using drones with cameras and thermal imaging equipment to look for issues in HVAC systems, like detecting leaks,” said Venn. “I contacted a supplier about purchasing a drone and learned that they were looking for distribution partners.”

‘Spark Saratoga’ Has Helped Many An Entrepreneur Since Its Establishment In 2017

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Provided by Saratoga Economic Development Corp.
Inspire. Mentor. Accelerate. These core values drive Spark Saratoga to boost startup and emerging growth businesses, just as it did when a group of creative, technology, business and academic leaders came together to form its launch two years ago.
In April 2017, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), launched Spark Saratoga to activate a community of collaborators as Saratoga County’s first and only startup incubator and business accelerator. Its purpose is to promote, retain and grow new businesses and innovators and to accelerate business to encourage future growth to ensure Saratoga County and the broader region remains a vibrant place to live and do business.

Prosperity Partnership, Cooperative Extension Band To Help Food Industry Entrepreneurs

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County are partnering to provide expertise and guidance to support entrepreneurs seeking to pursue growing business opportunities in the nation’s $6 trillion food industry.
“Recipe for Success: A Workshop for Food Entrepreneurs” will be presented on Thursday, April 11, at Cornell Cooperative Extension’s offices at 50 West High St. in Ballston Spa. The daylong program will provide important information on licensing, processing, packaging, marketing, pricing, and selling food products.
The workshop also includes the basics of successful small business management.

Home Inspections Important For Buyers And Sellers To Avoid Problems Like Mold, Radon

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Mike Feeder of Assured Home Inspectors conducts inspections throughout the area.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Today’s home inspectors have access to an array of technological assistants: thermal imaging cameras, radon cans, gas detectors and computer software to help put their findings into an illustrated report.
However, “the two things I use most are a flashlight and a screwdriver,” said Mike Feeder of Assured Home Inspectors in Hudson Falls. Feeder does inspections in Saratoga County and the North Country. He works out of his home.
“I have a home in my office,” Jolene Lomnes of Informative Home Inspections in South Glens Falls. She meets clients at the inspection site and will travel anywhere within 100 miles or so of the home base.
Feeder said he recently did an inspection in Missouri.
Typically, home inspectors have a background in construction. They are licensed by the state following a training course and are required to take 12 hours of continuing education a year. They must renew their licenses every two years.

Owners Of VRED Like Designing Living Spaces In Saratoga That Are New And Different

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Carmelo Vines, left, and Harold Baldwin are the owners of VRED, a real estate and design company that aims to bring new concepts to match a homeowner’s unique vision.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Carmelo Vines and Harold Baldwin hope to bring home design to a new level in Saratoga Springs.
At VRED, the pair is bringing years of real estate experience and combining with a passion for designing. Vines said what may begin as an affordable fixer-upper property can become a dream home with the right amount of planning. He said he always wanted to design and has always had an eye for what a property could be when it comes to owning a home and loving it.

Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Real estate agents participate in a seminar conducted by Personal Safety Services, a group that offers instruction on safety issues including self defense.
Courtesy Personal Safety Services

By Susan E. Campbell
A group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents—but with a kick.
The idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga LLC, had a minor health setback that “caused him to pull away a bit” from his busy real estate practice, according to the group’s operations director and instructor, Genevieve Suguitan of Signature One Group Malta.

Re/Max Office In Clifton Park Is The Third New Franchise Location In Area In Two Years

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Real estate broker Ferdinando Bruno, front and center, poses with staff.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy
Real estate broker Ferdinando Bruno is owner and broker of Re/Max Solutions in Clifton Park.
His office, at Town Plaza, 800 Route 146, is the third new Re/Max franchise to open in the Albany area in the past two years.
Although relatively new to Re/Max, Bruno has been in the real estate business for 18 years. He headed the Rubinger Team, made up of family members, at RealtyUSA/Howard Hanna before opening his own franchise with Re/Max.
He said the move to Re/Max gave him the flexibility to grow a business as an independent owner. He was also attracted by the overall brand recognition of the company and the tools it makes available to its franchisees.

OrthoNY Opens New Offices In Clifton Park; Sees Patients For Routine And Emergent Care

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

OrthoNY opened its newest location last month.
OrthoNY Surgical Suites, located at 16 Maxwell Drive in Clifton Park, offers outpatient, orthopaedic surgery and pain management from the same Saratoga and Schenectady physicians whom patients see in OrthoNY offices for routine and emergent care.
Ambulatory surgery centers like OrthoNY Surgical Suites specialize in meeting the needs of orthopaedic patients whose treatment does not require hospital admission, officials said. Staff welcome patients on the day of their procedure, and practice physicians perform surgeries in one of four fully equipped operating rooms.

Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center Adds Mobile Service For Its Patients

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

Howard Vics, director of Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center, works with a patient in his Clifton Park office. He has added a mobile service for patients that live far away.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Howard Vics, director of Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center in Clifton Park, in addition to celebrating five years in business his year, announced a new mobile option for the company.
The new option, Vics said, allows providers and patients to receive valuable services without having to worry about travel.
Northeast Thermography Medical Imaging Center health practitioners use a screening device that looks for physiological warning signs—made possible by thermography, or infrared imaging—that detecting changes in the body that may signal disease. It is less intrusive than X-rays in that there no touching or compression of the body.

Agents Recommend Business People Meet With Them Regularly To Review Policies

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

DeWitt Jenks, president of Jenks Family Insurance Agency.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Christine Graf
Because the insurance industry is constantly changing, insurance agents suggest that business owners meet with their agents on an annual basis in order to review their policies.
Jennifer Longtin, owner and president of Lighthouse Insurance Agency in Ballston Lake, said this is the only way for agents to ensure that their clients have the coverage they need. She has operated her business for 17 years and has been in the insurance business for more than 30.
“It’s not always about just adding more expense. It’s really about providing the right protection for whatever their needs are,” said Longtin. “Insurance should always change as the times change and as the business changes. And honestly, I don’t know any business that stays in business for years and years and doesn’t change.”