Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Susan Elise Campbell

She didn’t realize it at the time, but when Jesse Peters was invited to bid on a local airport habitat restoration project, her sustainable landscape business, Jessecology, would soon take off in a new direction.

Jessecology grows and sells thousands of native plants annually to civil engineers and construction companies for projects like roadside, highway median, post-construction and municipal landscaping.

“I didn’t win the bid on the plant piece of the project, but it was illuminating to me how great a need there is for propagating seeds of native plants for projects like these,” said Peters, an ecologist now in her 16th year of business.

Peters has been growing plants from seed for 10 years for wholesale use and do-it-yourself gardeners. But she said harvesting seeds for resale “was basically a hobby until that project for 90 acres shed light on the need.”

Any surplus she had in the past she typically donated to organic farms in the area to sow native plants around the fields.

“The wildflowers help bring in more pollinators to the farms and improve their crops,” she said.

By Christine Graf

Attorneys Michael O’Connor and Elizabeth Little of Little & O’Connor Attorneys PC of Glens Falls have merged their practice with FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth PC. 

Both attorneys and their paralegals have made the move to 68 Warren St. where FitzGerald Morris is headquartered. Prior to the merger, the firm employed 14 attorneys and a total staff of 32. 

According to FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth managing partner John Aspland Jr., he and O’Connor have been friends for many years. The idea of merging firms began to take root 10 years ago.

“We had some communications about 10 years ago where we started discussing some of the synergies between what he does and what we do and the clients that we have that have some common interests. We started that conversation and occasionally over the years revisited the discussion. He is an icon in the local legal community and has some fantastic clients that are very active,” Aspland said.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced that Mackey Auto Group donated $30,000 to its education program for 2021.

The program serves approximately 50,000 students throughout the Capital Region annually, according to SPAC. The contribution marks the beginning of a five-year campaign as part of Subaru of America’s annual “Share the Love” event.

“Our education program has grown exponentially over the past five years,”  said Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC president and CEO. “This generous gift will help us reach even more students and children with free and engaging arts programming like SPAC’s Learning Library, our Classical Kids program, and dance workshops with New York City Ballet and National Dance Institute. 

“SPAC’s commitment to education and community clearly aligns with everything that the Subaru brand stands for,” said Chris Mackey, Mackey Auto Group managing member. “Putting the community first and selling cars and trucks second has been part of Mackey Auto Group’s ethos since the beginning. We truly believe in the vision that SPAC has for the future and know that this funding will have a huge impact on access to arts education throughout the region.”

The Gideon Putnam hotel in Saratoga Spa State Park resumed service on May 5 for the spring, summer and fall seasons.

The hotel will be open for stays Thursday through Sunday nights in May before opening seven days a week beginning May 31 (Memorial Day) through the fall.

Delaware North, which operates the hotel under a long-term contract with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will again implement its Rest Assured  Commitment to Care comprehensive health and safety program. It includes re-engineered operating procedures to minimize contact risk and bolstered hygiene protocols aligned with guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We know people are looking to book vacations for the summer and fall, but there are also many who are ready to just hop in the car and get away for a few days,” said Jim McGrath, general manager of The Gideon Putnam.

Hotel guests enjoy amenities, including: advance tee time booking at the park golf course; use of the outdoor Victoria Pool and Peerless Poo; use of the Roosevelt Baths & Spa relaxation lounge; complimentary admission tickets to the Saratoga Automobile Museum; use of sports equipment for tennis, the putting/chipping green and disc golf in the park; free use of the Saratoga bike share program; and outdoor lawn games such as croquet, bocce ball, and horseshoes.

The Arrow Family of Companies announced the appointment of Blake Jones, vice president and director of marketing, to senior vice president for Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co., Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. and Upstate Agency LLC. As part of the senior leadership team,  Jones will be responsible for all activities related...

By Christine Graf

Local businessmen Robin Barkenhagen and Brian Bronzino, partners in 42°, a smoke shop and functional art glass gallery in Malta, are pursuing plans to open a marijuana dispensary at 56 Glen St. in Glens Falls.

The pair also have a 42° store at 206 Glen Street, Glens Falls. In February, they established a new business called Warren County Cannabis LLC.

In recent years, Bronzino has purchased several buildings in Glens Falls, including the 5,000-square-foot property at 56 Glen St.

Because marijuana has not been legalized at the federal level, dispensaries must be operated out of properties without loans or mortgages from federally chartered banks. 

But Bronzino “owns the building which is instrumental” in the process, said Barkenhagen.

The state Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was signed into law on March 31  and legalizes the recreational use of marijuana for those ages 21 and up. The state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) was established to oversee the industry, but they have not yet begun issuing licenses for growing, distributing, processing, and selling.

When MRTA was enacted, government official estimated that it would take approximately 18 months before the first recreational marijuana businesses would open in the state.

AIM Services Inc. has launched an I Am AIM 2021 annual campaign to raise funds and awareness for its programs.

The agency is one of the area’s largest providers of services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The campaign theme will highlight its commitment to empowering values of individuality, inclusion, independence, and integrity among their staff, their community, and in the lives of the people they support.

Services are provided in Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.

Officials said that over the course of 2021, I Am AIM will create opportunities for fundraising and engagement, including a new “I Am AIM” sweatshirt campaign, annual events such as Croquet on the Green and Vin Le Soir, various fundraising appeals, and other community collaborations to raise awareness and highlight the spirit behind the campaign.

“In my short time here at AIM, I am already so moved by how we truly embody our core values of inclusion, independence, individuality, and integrity,” said chief development and communications officer Bo Goliber. “This is part of what makes our approach to supporting individuals so innovative. It’s exciting to think about raising awareness and educating the community about that important aspect of our work and include them in our continued success.”

By Jennifer Farnsworth

After working for 20 years as a psychiatrist, Dr. Manuel Astruc  has found his niche in providing motivational coaching to entrepreneurs.

The Saratoga Springs-based physician said he remembers the day he made the decision to change course, pivoting into a new way of promoting mental health awareness. He, himself, was suffering from a sense of burnout.

“I remember looking at my twin sister’s picture and thinking it was time to make the commitment to myself to enjoy things more, to enjoy life more,” said Dr. Astruc.

Astruc’s sister had recently died and he was reflecting on the way she lived her life during her final years. He said she lived a life filled with happiness and grace, something he wanted to emulate. It was then he decided the stress from his career was taking away from his quality of life.

Astruc explored different paths before landing on the one that felt right. He created Your Next Act, in which he teaches resilience and leadership. He said the goal is to improve mental fitness and well-being so that entrepreneurs can start enjoying their dream.

“I wanted to find a way to take my expertise and have a bigger, more meaningful impact on the world, and this feels like a good way for me to do that,” said Astruc.

By Michael Cruz

Most businesspeople believe that success is bred by doing more. And more and more. And many times, that makes things worse.

Success comes from being the best at what we do. Doing tasks we are good at brings energy to all of the people in your company. Success breeds success. Repeating success is easier than struggling to do things we may not be as good at. So, what am I talking about here? I am suggesting that you may become even more successful by figuring out what not to do.

Look at your products and services. List them out on a sheet of paper. Which ones are profitable? What percentage of the revenue for that sale do you keep? Which ones are always a struggle to break even with? And, it’s a sure thing that some have no profit at all—or are performed at a loss. We begin to add services or products for lots of reasons. Many of them are to add to the top line. It will increase our revenue.

However, remember that you did not get into business to sell things. You got into your business to make money. So, using critical thinking, you want to figure out where you make the most money.

This focus on profitability will help you get rid of activities that do not make you money. That frees up time to focus on the things that make you money.

There are good reasons to add to your product or service offerings. Helping to offer a more complete solution to your customers is a good one. That adds in client retention. And it should make you more money because you have expertise and a relationship that make your offering less price sensitive.

Moving into areas without that expertise has the opposite effect. When people push you into areas that you should not go, learn to say “no.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

A new bar called Lucy’s is on a fast track to open in mid-June at 5 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs, according to co-owner Zach VanEarden.

As recently as only eight months ago, VanEarden had never even imagined owning a retail business in his native city.

VanEarden received a call from his long-time friend and restaurateur Kelsey Whalen, owner of Whole Harvest, a downtown Saratoga Springs establishment that was located at 5 Caroline St. Whalen was preparing to relocate that business to 419 Broadway, and did so in April.

Whalen suggested the idea of opening the bar.

VanEarden owns and operates VanEarden Brothers Painting LLC with his brother Ben. A painter for more than 15 years, VanEarden started the company in 2018 after leaving the Marine Corps and a year-long deployment in Japan, returning to the area with his fiancée, Lucy Rivas, to be closer to his aging parents.