The Adirondack Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, announced Teachers Appreciation and Blades For Grades Night, to be held on Friday, Feb. 12, as the Thunder host the Wheeling Nailers at 7 p.m. at the Glens Falls Civic Center....
Hodgson Russ LLP Law Firm Names Kennedy Its New CEO As John Amershadian Retires
Rick Kennedy was named the new president
and CEO of Hodgson Russ LLP.
and CEO of Hodgson Russ LLP.
Law firm Hodgson Russ LLP has named attorney
Rick Kennedy its new president and CEO.
Kennedy replaces retiring president and CEO
John Amershadian, who will remain a partner
at the firm until March.
Kennedy joined the firm as an associated
attorney in 1983 and was named partner in
1990. He holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY
Buffalo and a juris doctorate from SUNY Buffalo
Law School.
“In my opinion, there is not a finer individual
who could now be given this significant
responsibility for the future of this firm than
Rick Kennedy, a man for whom I have enormous
respect as an attorney and as a human being,”
Amershadian said in a press release.
Law Office Of Carolyn A. D'Agostino Moves To New Plank Road Location In Clifton Park
Carolyn A. D’Agostino, left, stands with paralegal Rebecca Srygley in new office space at 634
Plank Road, Suite 102 in Clifton Park.
BY MAUREEN WERTHER
The Law Office of Carolyn A. D’Agostino PLLC
has moved to a new location at 634 Plank Road,
Suite 102 in Clifton Park.
D’Agostino opened her private practice in 2007
after working 21 years for the state of New York,
where she was director of hearing administration
and the matrimonial unit at New York State Retirement
Systems.
The law firm moved to Clifton Park from its
former location in Latham in order to be more
centrally located for her clients. D’Agostino sees
Clifton Park as a fast-growing area, with opportunities
to provide valuable services to residents
of the surrounding community.
She said she is also excited to be working with
other local professionals.
“It’s a real pleasure to work and do business
here,” she said, in particular noting that the
Ballston Spa court system is excellent.
Business Report: Things Change, But Remain The Same
James T. Towne, Esq., principal at Towne
Ryan & Partners PC, Saratoga.
Ryan & Partners PC, Saratoga.
BY JAMES T. TOWNE, ESQ.
Growing up most of us heard the French
proverb “the more things change the more they
remain the same” at least once from our parents.
So, too, it applies to the state of the legal profession
in upstate New York, which continues following
a pattern ongoing since the start of the
Great Recession in 2008-09.
Part of the barometer for the profession’s
condition can be measured by the condition of
New York’s law schools. They prime the pump
of the profession.
In the first decade of the century, they flooded
the profession’s engine, leading to a lack of jobs
and entry level opportunities. In recent years,
New York’s law schools showed a continuing
decline in enrollment as those schools continued
to shrink faculty and admissions in an effort to
catch up with the realities of employment in
the profession.
In 2015, 11,565 students enrolled in New York
law schools, down from 12,033 (3 percent) the
year before. New York lagged the national trend
which showed the total number of students
fell by almost 6,000 or a 5 percent decrease in
national enrollment. The National Association
for Law Placement found that overall employment
for recent law graduates fell for the sixth
straight year in 2013 (to 84.5 percent) and that
unemployment among 2013 grads was 12.9
percent, nearly double the national unemployment
average for the same period of 6.6 percent.
Technology And The Internet 'Cloud' Have Altered The Shape Of Accounting Practices
Jonathan Rutnick, founder of Rutnick &
Co. PC in Clifton Park, surrounded by staff.
Co. PC in Clifton Park, surrounded by staff.
BY JILL NAGY
Green eyeshades and sharpened pencils are
things of the past for today’s accountants. They
are more likely to deal with QuickBooks in the
cloud. And they rarely see their clients face to
face, although they may be in daily communication
with their business data.
They also have to guide clients through an
increasing thicket of government regulations.
Kelly Reinhart of Reinhart & Associates LLC
in Saratoga Springs, recently restructured his
business operation completely so that clients pay
a fixed monthly fee for needed services, instead
of paying by the hour or task. Each client’s workload
varies from month to month, he found, but
they balance each other out.
Clients “enjoy having one fee,” he said. If they
have a question, they can ask it without worrying
about the time clock ticking away. He feels that
his business is “growing by leaps and bounds,
really skyrocketing” because of the change.
Albany Law School To Offer Course Work In Law And Cybersecurity Starting This Fall
In an increasingly technology-driven, globally
connected world, there is an escalating
need for legal specialists in data protection,
privacy and cybersecurity. In recognition of
this need, Albany Law School announced it
will be offering a new concentration in law
and cybersecurity beginning in the fall.
The program–a collaboration with the
University at Albany’s School of Emergency
Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
(CEHC)–will prepare J.D. graduates
to provide counsel to a broad range of industries
and individuals on an array of legal
matters, including: data breach; cybercrime;
compliance with state, local, federal, and
international privacy laws and regulations;
implementing security policies; records management;
digital media privacy; litigation; and
more, college officials said.
“The security of our personal information
and technological infrastructures in business
and government is an ever-growing concern.
The need for legal experts in this field will only
become greater as networks expand and the
value of data increases,” said Alicia Ouellette,
president and dean of Albany Law School.
“Our law school, located in New York’s capital
and the heart of Tech Valley, is an ideal lab for
studying these areas.”
“This program is precisely the kind of collaboration
we envisioned when we developed
an affiliation with Albany Law School,” said
UAlbany President Robert J. Jones. “Together,
our two institutions are leveraging capacity
that will provide highly specialized training
for cybersecurity professionals and meet a
massive and growing need both regionally
and nationally.”
Eagle Crest Makes Changes To Food Services; Housing Development May Be In Its Future
Eagle Crest continues business as usual, but a
housing complex may be in its future.
housing complex may be in its future.
BY MAUREEN WERTHER
A proposal to build a 170-unit housing development
on the site of the Eagle Crest Golf Course
could take six months or more to be approved by
the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board. But,
that’s OK said owner Bill Paulsen.
He has owned and operated the golf course
since 1991 and he has no plans to close anytime
soon.
According to Paulsen, ultimately, the parcel of
land would be worth more as land for construction
than as a turnkey golf operation. So he is looking
into the housing situation.
“If we are planning for retirement down the
road, this kind of project is a very long process. If I
decide to retire in 10 years or so, I don’t want to wait
five additional years [for the housing project to
take shape] to finally have the project ready to go.”
Construction Projects Abound In Region As Contractors Are Hopeful For A Busy 2016
This rendering shows what the Bonacio Construction project at 130 Excelsior Ave. in Saratoga
Springs will look like when the 65-unit apartment complex is done.
BY R.J. DELUKE
Construction season in the Saratoga County
will be in full swing weeks from now. Area contractors
say work is steady and 2016 is looking
like a solid year.
“Indicators are strong,” said Mike Munter, vice
president of Munter Enterprises in Middle Grove.
“We’re seeing a lot of bidding activity. We sense it’s
going to be another busy year ahead.”.
Bob Fortune of BCI Construction said there is a
lot of activity in the construction field this year, “but
it’s still a very, very competitive business. Margins
are very tight. You can’t afford to make mistakes.”
For Munter, his company is wrapping up work
on a new building for Greenfield Manufacturing
in the Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs.
That is a 35,000-square-foot project on five acres.
110-Unit Rental Complex Being Constructed In Saratoga Springs For People Age 55 And Up
The Summit at Saratoga being built off Route
50 will have 110 living units for rent.
50 will have 110 living units for rent.
In a move designed to provide greater choice
to Capital Region seniors seeking independent
housing, Summit Senior Living LLC is constructing
a 110-unit rental complex called The Summit
at Saratoga on Perry Road off Route 50 in Saratoga
Springs.
The three-story apartment project, already underway,
will be situated on 12 acres and will comprise
one building with an integrated clubhouse
featuring an indoor pool and hot tub, sauna, fitness
center, full-service salon, tavern, movie theater
and a variety of other recreational areas, including
bocce ball and pickle ball courts, according to
Adam DeSantis, principal of Summit Senior Living.
J. Luke Construction Co. Inc. of Schenectady is
the general contractor on the project.
“The Saratoga Springs market is underserved in
terms of luxurious, yet affordable housing options
for those over 55,” said DeSantis. “This community
will give seniors tremendous value for their money
as there are no entrance fees. Included in each
month’s rental fees is access to our Senior Engaged
Life (SEL) program, which allows residents to remain
active in mind, body and spirit as they enjoy
everything from regular speakers and outings to
pilates and cooking classes.”
Completion is expected by this summer.
Firm Eyes Mixed-Use Buildings On Malta Land
BY LIZ WITBECK
Two new mixed-used retail and office
buildings are being planned on Route 9 in
Malta. The parcels are behind the CAP COM
Federal Credit Union building.
The buildings are being designed by Lansing
Engineering.
“There was a need for additional retail in
Malta,” said Yates Scott Lansing, owner of
Lansing Engineering. “People needed more
office space.”
Currently the project is in the conceptualization
phase.
“We hope to get through the process fairly
quickly. The Town of Malta has always been
pretty good about moving things forward.
We hope to break ground by the end of summer”
he said.”It’s still early in the project.”