Saratoga Business Journal

Growth At J.C. Sweet & Co. Website Design Business Brings Move To New Headquarters

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017

Jenny Crawford, seated left, founder of J.C. Sweet & Co., poses with her staff.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Jill Nagy

After eight years in an at-home office, J.C. Sweet & Co., a website design company, moved to larger quarters and increased its staff from two to eight.

“We outgrew the home office. Things got too busy,” said Jenny Crawford, founder of the company.

The company plans a formal ribbon-cutting on Oct. 18 at its new quarters at 1 Lake Hill Road in Ballston Lake.

Five people work in the office and three more work off-site.

The company builds websites and helps to manage them. It also helps business owners come up with effective strategies to use social media to promote their businesses and trains business owners and their employees.

“We help people who are uncomfortable with technology, become comfortable,” Crawford said.

Training and education are a large part of J.C.Sweet’s business. Crawford, who trained to become an elementary school teacher, enjoys the training and teaching role. She provides internet-related training at state Small Business Development Centers, real estate companies, the Financial Planners Association, Chamber of Commerce programs for new businesses and similar venues.

State Has Funds To Help Businesses That Export

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded $754,700 in STEP funding to New York State Empire State Development to increase the number of small businesses that begin to export and increase the value of exports for small businesses that currently export.

The funding will be used to assist New York State small businesses in: participation in foreign trade missions, foreign market sales trips, subscription services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, website and/or marketing material translation services, export trade show exhibits and international trade workshops that align with the program objectives.

STEP is designed to increase both the number of small businesses that begin to export and the value of exports for small businesses currently exporting. Expanding the base of small business exporters and making the process as easy as possible is a key component of the Administration’s small business strategy.

StoredTech Acquires NC-Based IT Firm

October 6, 2017January 5, 2018

Stored Technology Solutions LLC announced the acquisition of Sabre Networks, which is now part of its team.

Sabre is a North Carolina-based IT managed solutions company. They have a customer centric focus, and share ethics and values with StoredTech, company officials said.

The company said Sabre is joining forces with StoredTech to provide better buying power; add the ability to provide deeper large enterprise solutions that can impact their clients; and to increase the level of security and stability.

These additional services include telecommunications (both on premise and hosted), cloud based solutions using Microsoft Azure, security and access control, virtualization (disaster recovery), and more.

Sabre Networks was founded in 1996 by Tony Hayden. Sabre has provided managed IT support services to organizations across the research triangle region of North Carolina for over 20 years.

Halliday Financial Wealth Management Firm Will Open Office In Clifton Park, Its Fourth

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017

By Liz Witbeck

Halliday Financial, an independent wealth management firm based on Long Island, is expanding into Clifton Park. It will become the company’s fourth office. Other offices are in Glen Head, L.I.; Albany, and Sarasota, Fla.

The company recently closed on the deal and officials hope to be moved in to the new location at 4 Executive Drive by December.

The company has seen much success in recent years. This year alone, it hired eight new financial advisors.

Scott Solomon, president and chief operations officer at Halliday Financial, said the Albany office at 14 Corporate Woods Boulevard has outgrown itself.

“We want to bring our operations team and our wealth management team to the new location,” he said. “We really enjoy this area. It’s a great area, a great community and we got a great little firm here.”

The Executive Drive space has 9,600 square feet. It comes with 50 parking spaces to accommodate staff and clients. Closing price was approximately $800,000, said Solomon.

He said there will be modest renovations done to the building. It is currently constructed for two tenants. Renovations will be completed so Halliday Financial can occupy the entire building.

SUNY Empire State, Cobleskill Form Pact To Help Business Students Get Graduate Degrees

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017

SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio, left, with Empire State President Merodie Hancock.

SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Empire State have forged an agreement to open a seamless new pathway for business students to earn a graduate degree.

The articulation agreement allows qualified Bachelor of Business Administration students at SUNY Cobleskill to transfer smoothly into the Master of Business Administration in business management program at SUNY Empire.

The agreement enables SUNY Cobleskill BBA students to cross-register for up to nine credits of SUNY Empire MBA coursework, and establishes a framework for developing a combined BBA-MBA program registered jointly by both institutions.

“SUNY Cobleskill is dedicated to creating learning pathways tailored to continuous and suitable student progress from secondary school through to their desired goals,” said Marion Terenzio, its president. “This new partnership with SUNY Empire State College gives our business students a valuable opportunity to continue seamlessly to a graduate degree program.”

The agreement “is all about getting students to complete their MBA in the most convenient, time- and cost-efficient manner possible, while at the same time, ensuring students receive the high-quality SUNY education they expect, need and deserve,” said Empire State President Merodie Hancock. “I look forward to offering additional opportunities, and even greater access, to our graduate programs for more Cobleskill students.”

Chef Michael Mastrontuono ‘Go To’ Dish Recipe

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017

After a very long day in the kitchen at 15 Church, one of Chef Michael Mastrantuono’s favorite “go to” dishes is also so easy that even the most culinarily-challenged cook can pull it off. Here’s what you’ll need:

Dental Office In Saratoga Springs Is Offering ‘Six Month Smiles’ Orthodontic Alignment

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017

Richard L. Dennis, DMD, FAGD, of Saratoga Smiles in Saratoga Springs has implemented an adult orthodontic aesthetic treatment for straightening teeth and improving overall appearance.
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com

(Story Updated 9-20-2017 from June 2017 Print Issue)

By Maureen Werther

Richard L. Dennis, DMD, FAGD, of Saratoga Smiles dental practice on 176 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs, began implementing a new orthodontic alignment program less than one year ago, and it is rapidly gaining in popularity.

The treatment program is an adult orthodontic aesthetic treatment that has proven effective in straightening teeth and improving overall appearance. While it shares certain similarities with traditional orthodontic procedures, it is less invasive and it uses tooth-colored wires and resin brackets.

Like traditional orthodontics, patients in the Six Month Smiles program see Dr. Dennis every few weeks to change the wires and gauges. Unlike the Invisalign treatment, which has been around for several years and takes much longer to work, Six Month Smiles is true to its name, usually taking between six to eight months.

The other notable difference between Six Month Smiles and traditional orthodontic or Invisalign treatments is cost.

“This procedure costs about half of traditional orthodontics,” said dental hygienist Rachel Lyons, who has been with the practice for nearly ten years. She added that a typical Six Month Smiles treatment program usually costs about $3,400.00.

NYRA: 2017 Saratoga Race Course Meet Saw Record $676.7M Set For All-Source Handle

September 11, 2017

Saratoga Race Course set an all-sources handle record with $676.7 million being wagered during the 40-day meet. Attendance reached 1,117,838, just off the record of 1,123,647 set in 2016.
Courtesy NYRA

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) reported that the recently completed summer meet at Saratoga Race Course set a record for all-sources handle with $676.7 million being wagered during the 40-day meet.

That surpassed the record of $648.3 million wagered in 2015. This year’s handle was up 4.5 percent over last year’s figure of $647.3 million, NYRA officials said.

On-track handle was $157 million, just missing the record $157.6 million wagered in 2015, but up 3.4 percent from last year’s figure of $151.8 million, NYRA said.

Total attendance, or paid admissions, for the summer was 1,117,838, just off the record of 1,123,647 set in 2016, officials said.

“We were extremely pleased with this year’s handle,” said Chris Kay, NYRA president and chief executive officer. “It’s a real credit to everyone in the organization, but in particular the racing department that we were able to generate such handle.”

Chamber Set To Hold Business-To-Business Expo On Oct. 5 At The Saratoga Springs City Center

September 11, 2017

Crowds flock annually to the Saratoga County Business-to-Business Expo sponsored by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. The event is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Courtesy Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will host the 2017 Saratoga County Business-to-Business Expo on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

The event will start at 3:30 p.m. for members and vendors and at 5 p.m. for non-members. The event will conclude at 7 p.m.

The Adirondack Trust Co. and Upstate Transit of Saratoga are the diamond sponsors of the Expo.

Exhibitor space is always a sell-out with nearly 150 companies on hand to share ideas, products, and service expertise with other businesses in an interactive face-to-face trade show format, Chamber officials said.

“The Saratoga County Business-to-Business Expo is the Chamber’s, and perhaps the Capital Region’s, largest business-to-business networking event of the year. With over 2,500 business professionals from all over the area, networking opportunities are plentiful if you are looking to build leads and grow your business,” said Todd Shimkus, Chamber president.

Sutton And Tarantino Insurance Will Be Purchased By The Adirondack Trust Company

September 11, 2017

The Adirondack Trust Co. has signed a letter of intent to purchase the assets of the Sutton and Tarantino Insurance Agency, an independent agency based in Saratoga Springs with a satellite office in Ballston Spa.

The transaction is expected to close by Jan, 1, officials said.

In addition to its banking operations, Adirondack Trust Co. operates two insurance divisions, the Adirondack Trust Insurance Agency in Saratoga Springs, and Amsure, based in Colonie.

Sutton and Tarantino is recognized as a respected insurance agency which has represented individuals, families and businesses in the Saratoga County community since 1955, bank officials said.

“I am looking forward to having my entire team of insurance professionals join the highly skilled insurance staff at the Adirondack Trust Insurance Agency,” said Rod J. Sutton, owner of the agency.

“Our organizations’ shared cultures, values and commitment to superior customer service prove to be a natural and exciting fit for the future. We look forward to offering our clients a broader variety of financial services on a local, independent and personal basis,” he said. “Our combined entities will offer our individual and business clients the most competitive, comprehensive and independently developed insurance options available in the marketplace.”