Southern Adirondack Realtors announced the appointment of Sarah Wisdorf as the interim association executive/CEO. 

With experience in senior management positions and leadership skills, Wisdorf is well-suited to guide SAR during this transition period, the organization said. 

As interim CEO, Wisdorf will oversee the daily operations of SAR, focusing on financial and legal oversight, public relations, and compliance. She will be responsible for executing the organization’s strategic plan, ensuring the smooth functioning of the association, and fostering growth and development within the real estate industry in the Southern Adirondack region.

 SAR President-Elect Jessica Sherry, who also served as the chair of the Search Committee, said Wisdorf “brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to SAR. Her strategic thinking, strong leadership skills, and dedication to our industry make her an ideal fit for the interim CEO role. We are confident that under Sarah’s guidance, SAR will continue to thrive and provide exceptional support to our members.”

 “We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to our team,” said SAR President Eden Whitaker. “Her track record of success and her commitment to excellence make her an outstanding choice for this critical role. We believe her leadership will drive SAR forward and help us achieve our goals of serving our members and promoting the real estate profession.”

By Christine Graf

Saratoga Springs Water Co. recently signed a multi-year lease to occupy 75 percent of the space in Arnoff Global Logistics’ new 120,000-square-foot warehouse in Malta. 

Known for its distinctive blue bottles, the 150-year-old water company was acquired by Blue Triton Brands in 2021. Earlier this year, Saratoga Water became one of the sponsors for the television show “Top Chef: World All Stars.”

“We leased space in our warehouse to Saratoga Water for them to be able to maintain inventory of both raw materials and finished product,” said Arnoff Global Logistics President Mike Arnoff.

The warehouse is located at the company’s sprawling 40-acre headquarters on Stonebreak Road. Since purchasing the property from Racemark International in 2016, Arnoff Global Logistics has expanded the campus to include office space, multiple warehouses, and a truck garage. The newest warehouse had a price tag of $15 million.

 “Encompassing our campus, we have office space for companies. We have warehouse space to rent, we have Arnoff-managed warehouse space to operate in, and we provide a multitude of different services for our clients in a campus setting,” said Arnoff. “We provide services inside of our buildings so that manufacturers can focus on manufacturing. They can let us do the warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding, and all of the services that go along with logistical performance in the supply chain.”

GlobalFoundries Inc. has completed the purchase of approximately 800 acres of additional land adjacent to its Malta manufacturing facility. 

With the purchase, which has been in process since early 2022, GlobalFoundries now owns the entirety of the approximately 1,110-acre park, formerly known as the Luther Forest Technology Campus.

With this additional land, GlobalFoundries has the flexibility to add manufacturing capacity and expand its footprint in New York state in alignment with customer demand, and provide space for further development with its ecosystem partners, the company said. 

The rate and pace of GlobalFoundries’s expansion in Malta will be aligned with market conditions, customer commitments, and U.S. federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act, officials said.

“Semiconductors are essential to daily life, and are at the heart of the U.S. economy, domestic supply chains, and national defense. GlobalFoundries stands ready to play a key role in the implementation of the CHIPS Act, which will boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing by creating a globally competitive framework,” said Steven Grasso, managing director of global government relations at GlobalFoundries. 

“This land purchase gives us the space and flexibility we need in the near-term to service the growing market demand for secure, reliable U.S.-made chips. This purchase also represents GlobalFoundries’ long-term commitment to New York and growing the semiconductor ecosystem that supports both GlobalFoundries’ world-class manufacturing facility in Malta and the regional semiconductor cluster envisioned by the CHIPS Act,” he added.

By R.J. DeLuke

Construction season this year is seeing a variety of companies in the area involved in numerous projects, sizeable and otherwise, as business moves forward in spite of concerns about the economy.

Mike Munter of Munter Enterprises in Middle Grove said 2023 “had a little bit of a soft start” in the Saratoga area, but “it seems like customers are seeing the growth and needing to expand.”

“There are some supply issues” he said, and the labor pool is still a problem, as companies are trying to fill staffs to meet work loads. But Munter is encouraged by the workforce development initiatives in the area, by groups like BOCES, that are aimed at getting people interested again in the building trades careers.

Jim Dawsey, president of MLB Construction Services LLC, said work in the Saratoga area has slowed a bit, but is still robust in the Capital District in general and northward to the Plattsburgh area. 

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will host its annual gala at the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course, where the Chamber will honor Dr. William (Bill) Long and Richard Ferguson.

Dr. Long is this year’s Joseph Dalton Community Service Award recipient and Ferguson as the 2023 Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year. 

This newly reimagined event, formerly the Chamber’s annual dinner, will take place on Thursday, May 11. A VIP reception will be held from 4:30-5:30 p.m., followed by general admission beginning at 5:15 p.m.

All are invited to join the Chamber at its premier annual event featuring networking, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and more. 

Long is one of the original founders of CAPTAIN Community Human Services and a significant force in the creation of what is now The Prevention Council of Saratoga County. Throughout his career as a psychologist, he has focused his professional work and volunteerism on creating services to energize and connect the community with the goal of improving the lives of children and families. 

“Dr. Bill Long epitomizes what the Joseph Dalton Community Service Award is all about,” Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president Todd Shimkus said. “He’s humble, quiet, and yet a powerhouse facilitating discussions that lead to action. When I called him to share that he was selected, he had no idea that he was nominated and he asked me if there was someone else that we could select in his place. This was in spite of the fact that he has made significant contributions to our entire county and its residents for 50 years.”

Ferguson, in addition to his professional role at Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Co. & Saratoga National Bank & Trust Co., has served with numerous local organizations over the past 30 years, exemplifying the spirit of the Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year award. 

By Jill Nagy

Even as a child taking ballet and tap lessons, Mary Beth Besler knew that she wanted to own and operate a dance studio. Eight years ago, she abandoned her “backup career” as an accountant and signed the lease for her first studio as the Dance Lab on West Avenue in Saratoga Springs.

She quickly outgrew that studio space and, five years ago, moved to her current location at 538 Maple Ave. (Route 9) in Wilton. Within a year, even that space grew too small, but the COVID pandemic hit and she stayed put. By 2020-21, the dancers began to return and Besler began to search for a new site.

She sought a new location and she knew she wanted to remain on the Maple Avenue corridor, a location that was convenient and had great visibility. Last month, she closed on the purchase of a 4.76-acre piece of land at 604 Maple Avenue and is awaiting the necessary permits to begin construction.
“We already have the approvals. We are just waiting for the permits,” she explained.

Saratoga Auto Supply has opened its newest NAPA Auto Parts location in Milton.

The majority of NAPA Auto Parts stores are owned independently by local community members. In Milton, the new store is owned by the husband and wife team of Jeff and Veronica Shorr as part of the Saratoga Auto Supply Group. 

The Saratoga Auto Supply Group was established in 2014 and now consists of five NAPA Auto Parts locations across Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. 

The group also operates four additional private parts supply stores for large clients including DA Collins Companies, the Romeo Auto Group and Rowland Street Garage.  

Saratoga Auto Supply also supports over 30 locally-owned and operated auto repair shops in Saratoga County under its NAPA Auto Care banner as well. 

The new 16,000-square-foot NAPA location in Milton is the first NAPA location in the United States to be designated as a large-format showcase store and it is being used by NAPA as a model to test design concepts NAPA hopes to launch in select markets across the U.S., according to company officials.

 The store features an 8,000-square-foot showroom, a pair of interactive two-car garages displays, a Milwaukee Tool Zone, the Chemical Guys Vehicle Detailing Center, and it offers free EV Charging Stations onsite.  

In addition, this location provides in-house Valspar automotive paint mixing and houses a dedicated NAPA Direct Call Center to support its 600-plus wholesale customers in Saratoga County. 

Minogue’s Beverage Centers  has an arrangement with Hinny Hard Seltzer to carry its variety 12-pack of hard ciders.

Hinny Hard is now available at all four Minogue’s Beverage Centers, including Saratoga Springs, Malta, Queensbury, and Wilton.

“We are thrilled to have established a partnership with Minogue’s,” said Tim Nickels, founder of Hinny Hard Seltzer. “As a fellow U.S. Army vet, Angelo and his team share similar values and a commitment to serving and supporting our veteran community.”

Hinny Hard Seltzer, which officially launched in January of this year, is now available in 70 locations, including retailers, bars and restaurants, across upstate and central New York.  The company said that number is rapidly growing.

Hinny, which is being sold as a variety 12-pack at retail locations, comes now in four flavors, including blueberry mint, bourbon-flavored, cranberry and black cherry. Summer flavors, including grape and pink grapefruit, will be introduced in the coming weeks.

By Jill Nagy

A dozen years ago, Catherine Hover started a business called Paint and Sip in Saratoga Springs, a place where people could, as the name suggests, paint pictures and sip wine. Within a year, she added additional studios, which she has since sold. 

The sales proceeds went into Palette, a woman-focused co-working and incubator space, also in Saratoga Springs. Palette was founded in 2019 and expanded in 2020. Palette spawned several other businesses, some owned by Hover and others, partly financed by her. 

Recently, Palette outgrew its space and moved to new quarters. Those quarters, down the street at 480 Broadway, have also grown tight and Palette has rented two more nearby offices.