Saratoga Business Journal

'Great Tang's' In Price Chopper Plaza Is New Restaurant Offering Varied Asian Cuisine

January 8, 2016November 8, 2017

Peter Chen right, and Qing Chen operate
Great Tang’s restaurant in Saratoga Springs.

BY LIZ WITBECK

Great Tang’s, a new restaurant in Saratoga
Springs, brings Asian cuisine to the Spa City.

The establishment opened in October in the
Price Chopper Plaza at 127 Ballston Avenue.
It offers a variety of Chinese, Japanese, and
Thai food.

Owner Peter Chen grew up in China, and
moved to New York City. It was there that he
began his career in the food industry. He has
been working in restaurants since 1998. He
has owned restaurants in New York City and
Pennsylvania, but wanted a change of pace.

“I wanted to try something new,” said Chen.

Priority One Payroll Inhabits Larger Space At New Office In Parade Ground Village In Malta

January 8, 2016November 29, 2017

Jeannine Dubiac, in the foreground, poses with staff at the company’s new offices at 3 Hemphill
Place in the Parade Ground Village complex in Malta.

BY JILL NAGY

Priority One Payroll, an eight-year-old payroll
service company, has moved to new, larger officers
in Malta but things have been too busy for
them to show off the new space to the public.

“We love our new space,” company head Jeannine
Dubiac said, and she hopes to have an open
house and ribbon-cutting in the spring.

The company moved its offices from the Village
of Ballston Spa to 3 Hemphill Place in the
Parade Ground Village complex on Route 9 near
Northway Exit 12.

The move from a 700-square-foot office to
1,700 square feet of space was prompted by the
company’s growth. It allowed the business to add
new employees and to install camera security
and other security systems to protect clients’
confidential information.

Adirondack Trust Community Fund Awards Grants to 23 Local Nonprofit Organizations

January 8, 2016November 8, 2017

The Independent Advisory Committee of
the Adirondack Trust Co. Community Fund
has awarded Lend-A-Hand Grants to 23 local
nonprofit organizations.

The grants were presented at the fund’s annual
grant award reception in December. Directors or
representatives of the organizations were present
at the reception and spoke briefly about their
respective organization’s mission and how the
grant will support their particular cause.

Grant awards were provided to:

Comfort Inn And Suites In Clifton Park Adds Restaurant For Customers And Local Events

January 8, 2016November 8, 2017

Comfort Inn and Suites at 7 Northside Drive in Clifton Park now has a restaurant offering
breakfast, lunch and dinner. The space is also available for weddings, shower and business events.

BY JENNIER FARNSWORTH

The Comfort Inn and Suites in Clifton Park
now has a full-service restaurant and banquet
facility for customers.

After several construction delays, the
American Bistro is now open for business at
the hotel.

The grand opening was scheduled for Jan.
11.

Restaurant owner Frank Ciaccio comes to
the hotel with 12 years of training restaurant
managers with the Cheesecake Factory. Ciaccio
said he trained at eight different locations and
is ready for both the change and the challenge
of opening a new restaurant.

He will have between 30 to 35 people on
staff.

Saratoga Casino & Raceway Will Have Morton's Steakhouse When New Hotel Opens This Year

January 8, 2016November 29, 2017

The new hotel at Saratoga Casino & Raceway is under construction and scheduled for opening
this summer. When it does, Morton’s The Steakhouse will be one of its restaurant choices.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway announced
that a Morton’s The Steakhouse will operate the
feature restaurant inside the casino’s $40 million
hotel expansion.

Both the hotel and Morton’s The Steakhouse
are on track to open for the summer of 2016,
casino officials said.

Morton’s The Steakhouse opened its first
restaurant in 1978. Its menu features USDA
prime-aged beef, fresh seafood and hand-picked
produce.

“We are proud to be able to offer our guests
‘the best steak anywhere’ right here in Saratoga
Springs,” said Tom Wiedmayer, general manager
of Saratoga Casino and Raceway. “Morton’s The
Steakhouse shares our core goal of providing
unique and special experiences to each and every
one of our guests and we couldn’t imagine a more
perfect fit for our property or our community.”

Cuomo: Increase In 'Taste NY' Events Boosted Sales Of NY State-Made Food And Beverages

January 8, 2016November 29, 2017

Taste NY events in 2015 helped triple gross
sales of participating vendors in 2015, including
its presence at Saratoga Race Course, according
to the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In less than one year, total gross sales of New
York products from Taste NY events and stores
jumped from approximately $1.5 million in 2014
to over $4.5 million today, according to the state.

“The momentum behind Taste NY continues
and is helping to expand New York’s thriving
food and beverage industry faster than anyone
thought possible,” Cuomo said. “I’m proud that
our ambitious sales goal has been reached and
that these efforts are helping to create jobs, support
farmers and small businesses, and get the
word out about the world-class products made
right here in New York.”

Last year, Cuomo called for the further
development of Taste NY in order to continue
strengthening New York’s growing food and
beverage industry. The plan added four new
Taste NY stores, increased marketing opportunities,
established several new partnerships and
strengthened connections to consumers across
the globe, officials said.

KeyBank Will Keep Mortgage Operations In Buffalo After Purchasing First Niagara Financial

January 8, 2016November 8, 2017

KeyBank, in the process of purchasing First
Niagara Financial Group announced in December
it plans to keep mortgage operations in Buffalo
where First Niagara Bank is based.

KeyBank, a wholly owned subsidiary of KeyCorp, with various offices in Saratoga County,
said it will leverage and expand First Niagara
Bank’s mortgage capabilities as it completes
First Niagara’s merger into Key.

Officials said that although it is too soon to
know exactly how many jobs the Buffalo mortgage
operations will entail, it is anticipated that
initially approximately 300 employees will be
needed to ensure all functions are covered.

KeyCorp and First Niagara Financial Group
announced on Oct. 30, 2015, an agreement for
Key to purchase the Buffalo-based bank, subject
to shareholder and regulatory approvals. Key
recently announced a plan to bring its currently
outsourced mortgage fulfillment operations into
the organization. The scope of the project will
now leverage First Niagara’s servicing platform
systems and expertise after the merger occurs.

Integrative Vision Therapy Owners See Eye Problems As A Factor In Learning Disorders

January 8, 2016May 11, 2023

Dr. Howard Kushner and Sherry Sherlock operate Integrative Vision Therapy in Saratoga Springs,
specializing in behavioral optometry and how improved vision can enhance a person’s abilities.

BY LIZ WITBECK

With many children in the United States struggling
academically, parents are looking for answers
to help their children. Academic struggles and
learning disorders are frequently linked to vision
problems, according to Dr. Howard Kushner and
Sherry Sherlock, who operate Integrative Vision
Therapy in Saratoga Springs.

As vision therapists, they specialize in behavioral
optometry and how improved vision can
enhance a person’s abilities in the classroom,
workplace, and life.

“Eighty to 94 percent of students who struggle
have vision issues,” said Dr. Kushner. “Many
children receive occupational therapy, physical
therapy. But they won’t progress if there is a vision
problem.”

Integrative Vision Therapy relocated in August
from offices in Clifton Park to Saratoga Springs.
They are now located at 3 Franklin Square, on
the first floor.

People Can Get Help Addressing Healthy New Year's Resolution At Custom Fitness In Malta

January 8, 2016November 29, 2017

Jeannie Barbero, right, and Sarah Currier of Custom Fitness in Gansevoort keep the facility
open around the clock so people working odd shifts or those with busy schedules can have access.

BY LIZ WITBECK

Becoming physically fit is a popular New Year’s
resolution. For those looking to get back into shape,
Custom Fitness Gym offers many options.

The facility is located at 23 Northern Pines Road,
Suite 1101, in Gansevoort.

Owner Sarah Currier has been attending exercise
classes for several years. Co-owner Jeanie Barbera
was operating a small studio in Wilton, which
had personal training and classes available. The
two came together to create Custom Fitness Gym.

“I taught here and I taught there. I wanted to
focus my energy” in one spot, said Currier. “Jeanie
and I understand each other and we have the same
ideas. I wanted to embrace our two forces into one.”

Business Report: Darwinism And Business Taxes

January 8, 2016November 8, 2017

James W. Cole is a tax partner with SaxBST, an accounting, tax and financial services firm.

BY JAMES W. COLE, CPA

According to Wikipedia, Darwinism is the
theory of biological evolution stating that all
species arise and develop through the natural
selection of small inherited variations that
increase the organism’s ability to compete,
survive and reproduce. In nature this plays
out over long periods, often with small incremental
changes.

In today’s business and tax world, these
changes happen rapidly and “natural selection”
is driven by innovation, global competition,
the political process and, ideally, by
well-informed conscious choice rather than
transmutation.

Most businesses today are no longer bound
by small geographical constraints. You can
invent the better mousetrap in your garage
today and be selling it across the country and
possibly the world next month thanks to the
internet and global shipping. And it is even
easier for many IT based businesses that can
avoid shipping altogether. This provides both
opportunity for success, as well as competitive
risk to be beaten by someone, somewhere who
can build it faster and/or cheaper.

So how does all of this “evolution” play out
in the business tax world?