Empire State University has launched its new Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, a degree designed for civil servants and others who aspire to career advancement in public service or the not-for-profit service sector. 

Applications are open for the fall 2023 term.

The MPA is a 30-credit master’s degree program that involves 10, three-credit courses and a final project. The program prepares students for careers such as social and community service managers in the public and nonprofit sectors. 

The degree will provide students with advanced skill sets that are necessary for supervisory and managerial positions. It will also introduce students to the history of the field, as well as recent trends in public administration. By understanding the interplay of governmental interventions, political factors, and ethical implications, students will be able to analyze, evaluate, and formulate policies.

By R.J. DeLuke

A Quebec-based company that makes high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes wants to build a plant in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs.

Soleno Inc., based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, presented its plans to the city Planning Board on March 23 and received approval for the project, estimated to cost about $22 million. The new plant will be situated on 22 acres.

According to Benjamin Robitaille, a vice president for Soleno, 35 to 50 jobs would be created, with an average salary of $70,000 per year. Those jobs would be engineers, operators, technicians and sales and administrative personnel.

Munter Enterprises will be the general contractor. Company president John Munter appeared before the planners along with Robitaille.

Robitaille said the company is family owned, founded in 1977. They have 10 plants in eastern Canada and employ more than 500 people. The plant in Saratoga Springs would be its first U.S. location.

Soleno has applied for a tax incentive package from the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency. The Saratoga Economic Development Corp. is assisting the company in that process.

A two-phase project is planned, Munter explained. The board approved construction of a 45,480-square-foot factory and office building. Some 25,000 more square feet could be added if the business is strong enough to justify it.

By Paul Post

The reinvention of Clifton Park Center, with exterior storefronts providing direct easy access, kept it thriving while many malls across America dwindled in the face of stiff competition from online shopping platforms.

The 630,000-square-foot property continued to flourish despite major challenges such as the Great Recession of 2008 and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic.

But after achieving its goals there, Clifton Park-based DCG Development recently passed the torch to a new owner—Albany-based CPC Development I, LLC, for a reported $55 million.

“DCG did extraordinary work transforming the former Clifton Country Mall into the town center that it is today,” said Faraz Khan, CPC principal, who purchased the site with an investment group of family and close friends. “We hope to continue DCG owner Don Greene’s vision and legacy by further the developing the property in years to come. We appreciate the opportunity to continue as stewards of this very important community asset.”

By Christine Graf

Certified prosthetist Joe Fairley has established himself as an innovator in the field of prosthetics and orthotics. 

His company, Ascent Fabrication, utilizes CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D print technology to create highly functional and innovative prosthetic and orthotic devices. 

Fairley developed an interest in CAD while a student at Saratoga Springs High School, and it was while pursuing a physics degree at Siena College that he taught himself how to use his department’s new 3D printer. After mastering the device, he established a group at Siena to create hero-themed, prosthetic hands for kids. 

They partnered with e-NABLE, a global community of volunteers who use 3D printers to make free and low-cost prosthetic upper limb devices for children and adults in need.

It was through volunteering with e-NABLE that Fairley became interested in the clinical side of the field of prosthetics and orthotics. After working as a prosthetics technician at Sampson Prosthetics and Orthotics in Schenectady, he attended Northwestern University where he earned a M.S. in prosthetics and orthotics.

Empire State University inaugurated Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D., as its sixth president on March 23 in a ceremony  at the Saratoga Springs City Center. 

SUNY Chancellor John B. King performed the presidential investiture.

Vollendorf began her tenure at SUNY Empire on July 1, 2022. With more than 26 years of experience in public higher education, she is deeply committed to the values of access, inclusivity and academic excellence. 

In her short time at SUNY Empire, she has led the implementation of numerous initiatives to advance the institution and enhance the student experience, including overseeing the institutions change from SUNY Empire State College to Empire State University, creation of a new strategic plan, new academic programs, and initiatives to improve access, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Prior to SUNY Empire, Vollendorf held faculty appointments and leadership positions at numerous universities, including Wayne State, Cal State Long Beach, San Jose State, and Sonoma State. A Spanish professor by training, she  has published two monographs and six edited collections on women in early modern Spain and colonial Latin America. She holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in both

By Christine Graf

The Book Nook, a small, independent secondhand bookstore opened its doors in Ballston Lake on March 1.

Located at 146 Raylinksky Road, Suite 4A, in the plaza behind Stewart’s, the store carries a wide selection of books for adults and children.

Before opening the bookstore, owner Sue Rainka worked for her family’s business, Hart Alarm Systems. After she and her siblings sold the Watervliet company in 2020, Rainka stayed on to work for the new owners. It wasn’t until after her mother passed away in 2022 that she decided to pursue her dream of opening her own bookstore. 

“I had always talked to my mom about wanting to open a bookstore,” she said. “I’ve worked a lot of year and this is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I decided now was the time to do it.”

While scouting for locations, Rainka posted on Facebook that she was collecting donations of used books for her new store. The donations started pouring in, and within a matter of months, she had collected close to 1,000 books. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

The husband and wife team of Doug and Alison Bohannon, owners of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls, added a second location to their business portfolio with the purchase of Spare Time bowling alley and arcade at 375 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham.

The Bohannons said they closed the transaction on Nov. 30 for $3.2 million.

“I have been in the bowling business since 1999, starting out as a pin changer and working my way up through management,” he said.

In 2013 the opportunity was presented to purchase the Spare Time lanes in South Glens Falls. The Bohannans re-named the business Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center and in February 2022 was approached by Spare Time Entertainment about purchasing the Latham location.

“This is a company I was employed by for 13 years and who sold us our South Glens Falls alleys 10 years ago, so we are very familiar with each other,” said Bohannon. “Negotiations went pretty quickly.”

The Bohannons changed the name of the center but have no plans to renovate at this time. Neither will there be staff changes among the 30-plus employees.

Jessica Ricker, with over 20 years of experience in admissions and enrollment management at liberal arts colleges, will join Skidmore College as its next vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid on June 5. 

She will lead an integrated and collaborative enrollment management approach for the College, continuing Skidmore’s consistently strong performance in admissions and financial aid support, college officials said.

“Throughout her career, Jess Ricker has repeatedly demonstrated the ability and genuine drive to apply a creative vision to all she does—an ethos that will benefit the entire Skidmore community,” said college President Marc Conner, who chaired the search committee. “Her commitment to amplifying student voices and supporting historically marginalized groups will help ensure Skidmore continues to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive liberal arts experience for all.”  

Ricker has served as dean and director of admissions at Wellesley College since 2018 and recently served as the interim dean of admissions and financial aid. Before joining Wellesley, she worked in admissions at Connecticut College for 18 years in various capacities. She holds a Master of Arts degree in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Connecticut College.  

At Wellesley, Ricker led a staff of 20 and oversaw admissions operations, including student recruitment, application review, marketing and communications, customer service, data analysis and reporting, event management, and staff development. 

In 2022, she was the recipient of an Agent of Innovation achievement award, given each year to an outstanding member of Wellesley’s staff who has demonstrated the use of innovative ideas, approaches, or techniques in their work. She also initiated and led a yearlong assessment of implicit bias among staff, policy, and processes across the Admission and Student Financial Services Division and devised an equitable, mission-driven application review and selection process.