Saratoga Business Journal

Latest Data Shows Sale Of Homes In Saratoga County Remains Strong; Sellers Market Seen

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

In the Capital Region sales jumped 4 percent to 1,183 houses sold in the region during August 2016, according to the Greater Capital Association of Realtors (GCAR).

According to data released in September, the city of Saratoga Springs had 61 new listings in August, compared to 46 in the same month of 2015, a hike of 32.6 percent. There were 39 closed sales, up 11.5 percent from August of 2015.

The number of closed sales in the city rose from 35 to 39, an 11.5 percent hike for the month, and the median sales price dropped in August from $381,000 to $351,000, a dip of 8.1 percent.

Overall in the region, GCAR said the number of homes for sale was down compared to this time last year. Inventory levels market-wide decreased 24.7 percent to 6,554 units. Months’ supply of inventory was down 34 percent to 6.6 months. Demand is showing no signs of changing as inventory continues to decline.

In the Capital District, new listings dropped 3 percent from August 2015 to 1,652 homes placed on the market last month. Sellers are receiving 95.2 percent of original list price, with homes spending an average of 63 days on market until sale.

Greater Capital Association of Realtors President Marie Bettini of Albany Realty Group said now is the time to sell.

“As inventory continues to drop, the contradictions in this market are evident. Sellers should feel confident enough to list homes at fair prices and receive meaningful offers in a healthy residential real estate and overall positive economic environment,” Bettini said.

Maria Billis Says Inspiration and Motivation Are Keys To Her Success As A Businesswoman

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Maria Billis is an independent consultant for Young Living Essential Oils.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Maria Billis just might have the key to success. She lives the mantra that if you believe in what you are doing, and love doing it, then success will follow.

This Saratoga business woman was once the owner of a popular restaurant before she made a career change, which has led her to being a powerful entrepreneur.

Billis works as an independent consultant for Young Living Essential Oils, a wellness company that focuses on both the aspects of physical and emotional healthy living through everyday products. The company is centered around nature’s living energy, while allowing its consultants to enjoy a financial rewards program by selling its products.

Billis said she became involved with the company through a trusted friend.

“A close friend of mine gave me the Young Living Wellness products as a gift and I fell in love with them. Wellness has always been an integral part of my life and after sharing both the products and business opportunity, I knew this was would be both amazing and exciting and that I would be very successful at it,” said Billis.

Jesse Elwert Peters Uses Native Species To Create Beautiful Landscapes And Gardens

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Jesse Elwert Peters starting her landscape design and installation on a part-time basis.

By Maureen Werther

Like many entrepreneurs, Jesse Elwert Peters’ path to start Jessecology and become Saratoga County’s only grower of all native plants and designer of all native gardens has been a circuitous one. But, like most winding paths, it has taught her a great deal about who and what she wanted to be.

She grew up surrounded by family members who were avid gardeners, farmers and proponents of ecologically-friendly forestation and sustainability. One aunt has a master’s degree in ecological forestry, and another has a working farm in Vermont. But the aunt who made the greatest impact on Elwert Peters growing up lives in Brooklyn and has had an elaborate roof garden for years. It was there, ironically, on a rooftop in the world’s busiest city, that she first became interested in gardening.

“She helped me plant my first garden and we also went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens together. It was there that I got my creative inspiration,” she said.

After high school, she wasn’t ready to go on to four years of study. Instead, she travelled west, ultimately landing in Yosemite, where worked for four years in the Yosemite National Park.

When Elwert Peters made the decision to return home, she earned an undergraduate degree in horticulture, ecology and botany She has spent the past 11 years cultivating her greenhouse of indigenous plants and educating consumers on the benefits of using all-native plants in residential as well as commercial gardens and landscapes.

Starting out doing landscape design and installation on a part-time basis while paying off her school loans, she was able to turn her business into a full-time career six years ago and, by the end of that first year, her business was self-sustaining.

Jennifer Ricupero Gets Her Clients Outdoors As Much As Possible In RAW Fitness Programs

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Jennifer Ricupero, owner of RAW Fitness in Saratoga Springs

By Lisa Balschunat

Four years ago, Jennifer Ricupero packed her bags and her business in Tampa and headed back home to the Capital Region. With three degrees in hand–a master’s in education, bachelor’s in recreation and leisure management, and minor in business administration, and years of experience as a fitness director in Vermont, Florida and then Albany–Ricupero landed in Saratoga Springs with an intention and a business plan to help people feel better about themselves through physical activities and recreation.

“When I started RAW Fitness, I wanted to get people outdoors. Deep down we all crave to be outside,” she said. “It’s human nature. The idea of RAW was and still is being ‘ready and willing’ to find a physical activity that makes you happy, then weaving physical and mental goals into that activity to develop the body as a whole.”

At first, some of her classes were held in a studio, but most were held outdoors–on a path, in the woods, in Congress Park, in a client’s backyard.

In 2012, Ricupero, an AFAA-certified fitness professional, opened RAW Fitness on Beekman Street in a small rented garage space, that she transformed it into a workout studio. She offered only three classes at the onset, but as word got out about her energetic and down-to-earth style of teaching, her classes started to filled.

She outgrew the 300-square-foot space in six months. She moved in April 2014, and then again in September 2015 to her present location at 51 Caroline St. RAW Fitness now employs five part-time instructors and two-full time staff. All instructors are certified in CPR, First Aid and AED, and they complete a one-month RAW instructor training, Ricupero said.

“Most of my instructors were in my classes before they decided they wanted to teach,” she said. “When they begin teaching they follow the basic vision of RAW, but they can build own class personality.”

Woman Flies Helicopter, Gives Flight Lessons, Provides Transportation Out Of Local Airport

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Heather Howley is the owner of Independent Helicopters.

By Susan E. Campbell

Adventurous young women often make their dreams take flight by starting their own businesses. For Heather Howley, taking flight literally means putting a 1,500-pound helicopter into the air every day.

Howley is chief pilot and CEO of Independent Helicopters, a flight services company she founded in 2008 at age 25.

Originally from Niskayuna and educated at Hudson Valley Community College, Howley was in California working in her field of study, biology, when she decided to follow up on a new-found interest in flying that unfolded while traveling through Europe.

She took a flying course at a community college in San Diego, where her female instructor and mentor suggested piloting helicopters rather than planes “because the industry is more stable than the airlines.”

But it was a free ride for the helicopter students that changed her life.

“I was hooked,” Howley said.

M2CON Conference Oct. 19 In Lake George Offers Practical Digital Marketing Sessions

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Participants listen to a presentation at last year’s M2CON conference for business owners, executives and marketing-communications professionals. This year’s conference is Oct. 19. in Lake George.

Courtesy Mannix Marketing

Registration is open for M2Con, the one-day conference from Mannix Marketing designed for business owners, executives and marketing-communications professionals from small and medium-sized businesses.

The conference will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center in Lake George.

M2Con 2016 will feature tactical digital marketing sessions with advice attendees can immediately put into action at their companies.

“This conference will be jam packed with strategies businesses can employ to get more traffic through their doors,” said company founder and CEO Sara Mannix. “We received so many rave reviews after our previous conferences because businesses could take what we showed them and immediately put it to work for themselves and get results.”

Social Media Important To E-Commerce And Branding, Understanding Customer Base

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Megan Cornell, right, of SIX marketing says technology helps marketers serve customer needs.

BY Molly Congdon

In a growing technological world, e-commerce for many businesses continues to rise.

Much of that push is driven by convenience. Customers are able to visit their favorite store 24 hours a day, in the comfort of their own home. The process is constantly evolving.

“We believe it’s paramount to provide amazing content that motivates your demographic to become fans, patrons and ultimately brand advocates,” said Megan Cornell, chief social media officer with SIX marketing in Saratoga Springs. The day of shouting your message for all to hear has come and gone.”

SIX aspires to make a connection with customers that is lasting and memorable.

It’s never been easier to utilize technology to the advantage of your business.

“We all know it’s a new world where we have to be connected to each other in real-time all the time,” Cornell said. “Brands need to be in front of their customers now more than ever. The digital space provides the resources for them to do so. It provides marketers with valuable insights into consumer behaviors that help us serve them with better marketing.”

Business Report: 5 Misconceptions About Cybersecurity

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

cybersecurity col - michael billok c.jpg

Michael D. Billok is an attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King.

Courtesy Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC

By Michael D. Billok, Esq.

As a business owner or operator, there are always a half-dozen items that require your immediate attention, and then the dozens of other items on the “back burner” that you would like to get to when there is time–but there never seems to be time available.

Unless, of course, a back-burner item “blows up” and becomes a front-burner item, now requiring your immediate attention.

For small and mid-sized businesses, cybersecurity routinely is one such back-burner item, not getting the attention it deserves unless something does “blow up,” for example there is a hack, a data breach or some release of employee or customer personal information that now requires immediate attention. This is due to several common misconceptions about cybersecurity, such as:

• I’m small. I won’t be hacked or compromised. False.

Larger organizations have spent the past several years improving their cyber defenses to make it more difficult to access their data. As a result, hackers look to smaller organizations with less resources available to buttress their defenses as a jumping-off point to access larger organizations. Remember the national-news data breach at Target that occurred two years ago? Hackers didn’t directly “target” Target. They first hacked into an HVAC subcontractor’s network, and after compromising the subcontractor’s system they were then able to hack into Target utilizing the subcontractor’s access to Target’s network.

Business Report: Maximize Employees' Mobile Productivity

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Craig Stephenson, administration, compliance manager, Tech II Business Services Inc.

Courtesy Tech II Business SErvices

By Craig Stephenson

Virtually every employee today has a smartphone. Many also have tablets, such as iPads and android devices. Most businesses are under utilizing these devices, because in most cases they belong to employees. These devices are BYOD, “bring your own device,” as they say.

Your hyper-connected employees are glued to their mobile devices, and savvy business owners and executives have realized the secret to higher employee productivity is embracing mobility and the BYOD trend. Find ways to help your staff work more, work smarter, and serve your clients better. The key is to empower the mobile experience of your staff, without compromising security and control of your corporate data.

Business-class file sync services can give you the best of both worlds however you need to be aware that all cloud services are not alike. One of the most popular cloud services has been hacked more than once and for those in the medical and financial industry, may find the compliance lacking. However Tech II Business services Cryodrive can allow your corporate data to be synced to employee mobile devices, without giving up control of your corporate data and remaining HIPAA compliant. Here’s how:

1. Sync to smartphones. Business-class cloud file sync services allow employees to sync their critical work files between their desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and the cloud.

Your staff becomes more nimble and productive when they have their files at their fingertips, no matter where they go. Whether it is iOS, android, or Windows Phone, business-class sync keeps users connected on the go.

Saratoga Casino Holdings, With Its Partner Churchill Downs, Buys Casino In Maryland

October 7, 2016November 8, 2017

Churchill Downs Inc. and Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC announced in August a joint venture to purchase Ocean Downs harness track and casino near Ocean City, Md., for an undisclosed price.

The groups–owners of Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs–bought all of the equity interests of Ocean Enterprise 589 LLC, Ocean Downs LLC and Racing Services LLC, the entities that own and operate the casiano at Ocean Downs and Ocean Downs Racetrack.

The purchase was made from a private ownership group led by William M. Rickman Jr.

Churchill Downs Inc. and Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC formed a new company to execute the definitive agreement to acquire these equity interests, Old Bay Gaming & Racing, LLC, which is 50 percent owned by Churchill Downs Inc. and 50 percent owned by Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC.

By virtue of its 25 percent ownership of Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC, Churchill Downs Inc. will indirectly own an additional 12.5 percent of the new properties for a total interest of 62.5 percent.

The economic terms of the transaction are confidential, officials said.

Rickman remains a senior advisor to the new owners in his capacity as executive vice president of Maryland Gaming LLC.