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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • February 2013 • 1
GBJ
P.O. Box 766
Saratoga
Springs, NY
12866
GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL
VOL. 24 NO. 12
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
PRSRT
STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
GLENS FALLS, NY
12801
PERMIT #600
February 2013
Community Service Record Garners 2013 Bay Street Building Renovation To Result
Juckett Award For John And Kevin O’Brien In Luxury Apartments And Office Space
John O’Brien’s activities with numerous
groups earns him the Juckett Award.
Kevin O’Brien joins his brother as a
co-winner of the prestigious award.
Courtesy Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce
Courtesy Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of
Commerce announced that the 24th J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award will
be presented to John and Kevin O’Brien of
the O’Brien Insurance Agency.
The award will be presented at the 99th
Annual J. Walter Juckett Award Banquet
on Thursday, March 7, in Heritage Hall,
Glens Falls Civic Center. The banquet will
also feature a live and silent auction to
benefit the Tri-County United Way.
“John and Kevin demonstrate a fierce
commitment and hands-on dedication to
the betterment of our local community,”
said ARCC President and CEO Peter Aust.
“Through their substantial contributions
to the community, they have earned the respect and admiration of their peers. I can
think of no one more deserving to receive
this prestigious community service award
than John and Kevin O’Brien.”
J. Walter Juckett had a remarkable
business career and was recognized as a
major community leader in his adopted
home, the village of Hudson Falls, and the
entire region, Chamber officials noted. His
leadership and commitment transgressed
a wide range of civic, charitable, religious,
political, business and educational activities. He was recognized with honors for
his work and contributions to the Boy
Scouts of America, New York Business
Development Corporation, Salvation Army,
Norwich University, Presbyterian Church,
Hudson Falls Central School and many
other organizations.
He was a tireless worker for the arts,
having served as a director of the Lake
George Opera, and a major force in The
Hyde Collection Capital Campaign.
Quietly and behind the scenes, the
O’Brien brothers have been stewards of
countless organizations, the ARCC said.
John has been involved with the Open
Door Soup Kitchen, House of Grace, Glens
Falls YMCA, Glens Falls Foundation, Prospect School, and St. Mary’s Parish Council.
Kevin currently serves on the board of
directors of the Tri-County United Way,
the Glens Falls Home, The Glen at Hiland
Meadows, and the Glens Falls Hospital
Foundation.
Kevin has also served as president of the
Glens Falls Rotary, and has been active in
all Rotary committees. He also sits on the
Insurance Agents board of directors and
National Association of SIS Partner Agents
board of directors.
What make the O’Briens even more
deserving of the J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award are the lesser known
charitable and philanthropic activities
they do, said Aust.
Continued On Page 2
This building at 21 Bay Street, along with an adjacent building on Maple St., is being
renovated by Glen Street Associates, which has invested $4 million in the project.
Courtesy Glen Street Associates
By R.J. DeLuke
A considerable undertaking by Glen
Street Associates in downtown Glens Falls
will add some new luxury apartments to
the hub of the city while helping the city’s
continuing efforts to revitalize.
Peter Hoffman , president, of Glen Street
Associates said some $4 million has been
invested in renovating the four-story structure at 21 Bay Street. Gutting the interior
started recently and crews will be busy
for some time, trying to get the first-floor
commercial/office space section available
by early June.
“It’s going to be a beehive” of activity, said
Hoffman, overseeing operations with the
assistance of wife Suzanne, company vice
president. “We’re really excited about it.
The 21 Bay Street project is a huge undertaking that will result in 37 luxury apartments in the stories above the ground-level
commercial space. Many will have a view of
Glen Falls City Park.
Hoffman also purchased the adjacent
property at 14 Maple St. That will be renoContinued On Page 16
Talent For Working With Animals Spawns
Woman’s Creation Of Canine Design & Spa
Study Says That Washington County Fair
Generates $8M In New Visitor Spending
It has long been held that the Washington County Fair, and the activities that
take place on its fairgrounds, have a major
economic impact on the local economy. For
the first time, research data supports this
claim, officials for the Washington County
Fair announced.
The New York Association of Agricultural Fairs, in partnership with Dutchess,
Erie, Jefferson and Washington County
fairs, contracted Camoin Associates of
Saratoga Springs to conduct studies at the
aforementioned fairs.
Officials said the results are conclusive
and the Washington County Fair generates
over $8 million in new visitor spending
(new visitor is someone that lives outside
of the county,) creates 181 jobs and adds
over $442,000 in tax revenues. These numbers drive home the point that the county
fair and fairgrounds is an economic engine
for the local economy.
“We are committed to serving our county
and carrying out our mission of educating
the public about agriculture at the Washington County Fair,” said fair manager,
Mark St. Jacques.
“It is heartening to know that of the
135,000 annual visitors to all the events
hosted by the fairgrounds, over 94,000
(visitors) are coming from outside the
county, “said St. Jacques.
Events hosted at the fairgrounds include the annual Washington County Fair,
two Washington County Antique Fair and
Flea Markets, Bark for Life Cancer Walk,
Memorial Day Van Group, Antique Truck
Show, Antique Tractor Pull, Dog Agility
Competition, and the Southern Adirondack
Fiber Festival.
To view the full report, visit http://
camoinassociates.com/documents/FinalReport-EconImpactofWashingtonFairgrounds-WCF.pdf
The 2013 Washington County Fair runs from
Aug. 19-25. The Southern Adirondack Fiber
Festival runs Oct. 5-6. For other events and
information, visitwashingtoncountyfair.com.
Cindy Trombley, owner of Canine Design & Spa, pampers pets by providing various
specialty spa packages at her new business located at 663 Route 149 in Lake George.
BY PAMELA FISHER
According to Cindy Trombley, dogs deserve the
spa treatment.
“Many people refer to what I do as grooming, but
I prefer the term pet styling,” said Trombley, owner
of Canine Design & Spa, a new business located at
663 Route 149 in Lake George.
While working as an executive assistant, Trombley recognized her natural talent working with
animals and began exploring pet-related career
options. Trombley received certification in grooming, and continues to educate herself by attending
trade shows in professional pet styling.
At her new spa, Trombley pampers pets by
providing various specialty spa packages including
facials, aromatherapy treatments, full grooming
paw treatments, and special shampoos for ph
balance among other services. She also sells toys,
treats and accessories.
Trombley said that first-time clients are not
always excited about pampering, but she prides
herself on making connections with the animals
and providing a relaxing experience.
Continued On Page 7
2 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • February 2013
Personnel Briefs
•
•
The law firm of FitzGerald Morris Baker
Firth PC in Glens Falls announced that MaryEllen E. Stockwell has joined the firm, practicing in the firm’s real
estate, municipal and
business law section.
Stockwell previously
practiced law in Washington County, and will
be based at the firm’s
Kingsbury office. In
addition to her private
clients, Stockwell is
the attorney of record
for the town of Fort Edward, and the Fort
Edward Local Development Corp. Stockwell
is also a designated “attorney for the child” in
Washington and Warren counties’ family courts.
She will continue engagements in matrimonial
and family law matters.
A native of Fort Edward, Stockwell is a 2004
graduate of Hudson Falls High School, and a
2008 magna cum laude graduate of Russell
Sage College. She earned her Juris Doctor,
magna cum laude, from the University of Buffalo Law School in 2011, and was an executive
board member and webmaster of the Buffalo
Public Interest Law Journal while there, and
was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2012.
*
*
*
AAA Northway announced two travel agents
reached the $1 million dollar mark in travel
sales for 2012.
Julie Humphries and Christine Hadden, from AAA Northway’s Queensbury Travel
Center, reached the
sales milestone. Both
Humphries and Hadden reached $1 million
in sales during 2011
as well.
Humphries joined
AAA Northway as a
travel agent in 2010
after several years as
a travel professional in
another agency. Hadden joined the organization in 2008. Both agents agree that having a
passion for making their clients’ travel dreams
a reality and providing exceptional service are
the keys to their success.
AAA Northway has six travel centers with
a total of 18 travel agents throughout its
10-county territory in northeastern New York.
It has been open since 1986 and travel services are available to both AAA members and
nonmembers.
Ingersoll Of The LA Group Honored With
Prestigious Award In Field Of Architecture
*
*
*
High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care staff
recently hosted a luncheon to honor volunteer
Rose Dolan.
Dolan has volunteered at least one day a
week for the last 18 years, thanking and acknowledging donors and assisting with maintenance of donor logs. Volunteer Coordinator,
Keith Mann said her dedication is a testament
to her commitment to the organization. A special plaque is being dedicated to her.
Dolan and her late twin sister, Donna, collectively have volunteered over 6,000 to hospice,
the agency said.
*
*
*
Michael Tessitore was hired by Tech II
Business Services Inc. as a network engineer.
Tessitore’s responsibilities include network
security, VoIP configuration and network
engineering.
He comes with over a decade of experience
and is a graduate of HVCC with a degree in
system and network administration. He has
worked previously with regional ISP providers
and comes with multiple Cisco qualifications.
*
*
*
The Lake George Land Conservancy announced the appointment of five new members
to its board of directors: Dr. John Buhac,
Charles M. Cumming, J.D. DeSantis,
Debbie Hoffman, and Daniel J. Ryterband.
Dr. Buhac is a gastroenterologist who
has been in private
practice in the Albany
area since 1998. He is
a graduate of Cornell
University and received
his medical degree
from Tufts University
School of Medicine. Dr.
Buhac has been exploring the Adirondacks, New England and the
Lake George area since childhood and owns a
camp on Gull Bay.
Cumming received a
B.A. degree in psychology from Dartmouth
College and an M.B.A.
from the University of
Connecticut. He served
as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army
from 1965 to 1967. For
the majority of his career, Cumming was a management consultant
specializing in employee and executive compensation programs. He resides in Lake George.
DeSantis is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a major in
environmental studies
and he received his law
degree from the New
York University School
of Law. He is currently
a partner at Shearman
& Sterling LLP. He and
his family spend summers in Lake George.
Hoffman is the CFO of the Northway 8 Golf
Shop and Driving Range in Clifton Park, which
she opened in 1974 with her husband, Bill.
Continued On Page 7
C. Michael Ingersoll, RLA, ASLA, and
managing principal of The LA Group, was
selected by an independent jury to receive the American Society of Landscape
Architecture (ASLA), New York Upstate
Chapter, Distinguished Practitioner Award
for Private Practice.
The jury noted that they were impressed
with Ingersoll ‘s work and leadership
within the profession, as well as his many
contributions to the community.
Ingersoll was honored for his hard work
over the years for the chapter, the profession and the community by accepting the
award at the ASLA awards dinner on Jan.
25 at the Genesee Grand Hotel in Syracuse.
Ingersoll has been a member of ASLA
for over 25 years. He has attended many
functions and conferences throughout the
NYU chapter and helped to organize the
2009 chapter meeting in Saratoga Springs.
At that meeting, Ingersoll presented
the Luther Forest Technology Campus
project,now the largest private investment
site for nanotechnology in North America.
Ingersoll resides in Saratoga Springs
with his family and has been involved in
the planning and design of numerous projects in Saratoga County for many years,
totaling over 300 projects.
Projects include the Lofts of Saratoga,
Hampton Inn, Saratoga Lake Golf Course,
the Wilton Developmental Center, the
town of Malta Open Space and Recreation
Master Plan, The Mill restoration, the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of
Fame, Empire State College, Yaddo restoration, Excelsior Park, and the Carousel
in Congress Park.
Ingersoll recently completed the newlyopened 454-space parking garage project
in Saratoga Springs. Currently in the works
is a mixed-use, four-story retail-residential
building in the heart of downtown Saratoga
Springs.
Ingersoll led the design team for site
planning and landscape architecture
for the 2012 award-winning, mixed-use
Market Center at Railroad Place (Price
Chopper) project, receiving a Planning
Excellence Award for Sustaining Places
by the New York Upstate Chapter of the
American Planning Association. Also in
2012, the APA named Saratoga Springs’
Broadway as one of the 10 Great Streets
in America, a project area where Ingersoll
has contributed significant design input
for over 30 years.
The LA Group said Ingersoll’s leadership
at the firm, within the community, and the
profession have been evident through the
many successful commissions, community
involvement, and his reputation as a creative designer and problem solver for land
planning issues. He has collaborated with
many of the leading architects and planners in the region and his work has been
frequently recognized by the AIA and APA.
Since joining the firm in 1982, the firm
has grown from four employees to over
40 and is a leader within the profession
C. Michael Ingersoll, RLA, ASLA, is a
managing principal of The LA Group.
Courtesy The LA Group
in both size and by reputation within the
region. Also under Ingersoll’s direction,
the firm committed to a sustainable scholarship fund at the landscape architecture
school at SUNY College of Environmental
Science and Forestry.
Ingersoll and fellow partners are frequent lecturers to students at the college
giving insight into landscape architecture
beyond the degree and representing the
profession as leaders.
As an involved citizen, Ingersoll has
donated his expertise to many community efforts such as the Center for the
Family,Saratoga Miss Softball, Saratoga
Economic Development Council, St.
Clements Church, the Special Assessment District, the Saratoga Rowing Club,
Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga Hospital, Wesley, YMCA, Yaddo, and the city of
Saratoga Springs.
In addition, Mike spearheaded the
firm’s involvement in “The 1% Program.”
The LA Group was one of the first firms
in upstate New York to join the program
launched by Public Architecture in 2005.
The LA Group has provided pro bono site
planning and landscape design to local
not-for-profit groups since 1983.. Recent
projects providing site planning and landscape architecture include High Rock Park
9/11 Memorial in Saratoga Springs, the
historic Wiawaka Holiday House in Lake
George, and the Wesley Health Care Center
Community Garden in Saratoga Springs.
The LA Group, Landscape Architecture
and Engineering PC is a design firm that
provides environmental analysis, land
planning, and civil engineering for public
space planning, colleges and institutions,
government projects, parks and recreational facilities, and private initiatives.
Local projects include Skidmore College
Improvements and the Saratoga Medical
Park at Malta.
Juckett Award
www.tech-ii.com
Continued From Page 1
“Taking Your Business to The Cloud”
IT Services • Telephony • Cloud Computing • Cabling Infrastructure
Serving the Glens Falls Region for Over 25 Years
Glens Falls 798-3388
Saratoga 587-1565
“Whether it’s making pancakes from a
special family recipe and providing them
free to all the participants of a local cancer
awareness walk or buying coffee at a local
coffee shop for everyone that comes in and
orders a cup that day as a pay-it-forward
event, the O’Briens go out of their way to
give back to the community that means so
much to them,” he said.
The Juckett Community Service Award
dinner event is scheduled for 5-9 p.m. Dinner will be supplied by Longfellows. The
cost to attend is $90 per person. Space is
limited. Reservations can be made by contacting Morag Rosa at 798-1761 or mrosa@
adirondackchamber.org or visit the ARCC
website, www.adirondackchamber.org and
fill out the registration form.
Reservations are due by Feb. 25.
Program To Offer Businesses Advice On Scoville Jewelers Saleswoman Earns Top
Planning, Budgets, Taxes, And Key Issues Honor For Hearts On Fire Diamond Sales
The Washington County Local Development Corporation, Warren County LDC and
SUNY Adirondack Continuing Education
will conduct a spring series of the Microenterprise Assistance Program beginning
Monday, March 4, at the SUNY Adirondack
campus in Washington Hall from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m.
This nine-week course is open to any
prospective entrepreneur as well as existing small businesses (with ten or fewer
employees) in our region.
The program provides attendees with the
resources to build or re-structure an effective business plan and covers other critical
topics such as advertising, budgeting and
bookkeeping, and legal issues, insurance
requirements, taxes, permits, and financing strategies.
The course is designed to provide
candidates with in-depth coverage of the
business planning and operational process.
Each session offers information relevant
to building and utilizing an effective business plan.
SCORE kicks the course off by providing
an overview of building a business plan
and how to use that plan to succeed, grow
and thrive. Every session brings an area
professional to the classroom to discuss
best practices from his/her respective field.
Professional presentations for this course
include:
Joyce Miller, SUNY Adirondack, Gail
Hamel, Hamel Resources LLC; Michael
Borgos, and Mark Delsignore of Borgos and
Delsignore PC; John O’Brien, O’Brien Insurance; Carl Cedrone, Edward Jones; Mike
Laney, Gore and Laney CPAs; Mark Galough,
Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co.;
George Normandin, Normandin Marketing;
as well as regional business owners ( Tim
Havens, Mark Miller, Sharon Butto and
Marge Randles) for a panel presentation
in a round table discussion session with
class participants.
The fee is $125 for each participant. In
addition to learning valuable start up and
expansion information, completing the
course qualifies candidates to apply for
funding a startup business in Washington
or Warren counties.
Contact SUNY Adirondack at 743-2238 to
register for the class by Feb. 25.
Additional loan programs are available
for existing businesses. Visit www.wcldc.
org or www.warrenldc.org for more details
about other loan programs available.
Land Conservancy Essay Contest Means
Scholarship Funds For High School Seniors
The Lake George Land Conservancy
(LGLC) is accepting essays from high
school seniors for its second annual scholarship program.
One high school senior will receive $750;
an additional $250 will be awarded to the
winner’s school’s science program.
“We are pleased to offer this opportunity,”
said Nancy Williams, LGLC executive director, “and hope that through this scholarship
we can make a difference for an aspiring
student as they move on to college or on
another post-high school path.”
“The prize is split between the student
and their school because we also realize the
need for funds in schools,” said Williams.
“The award may allow for addition equipment or for a field trip opportunity that may
generate an interest in our natural world.”
Eligibility is restricted to high school
seniors, including home-school students,
whose school district lies mostly within
the Lake George watershed: Bolton, Lake
George or Ticonderoga Central School
Districts. Students who are year-round residents of Hulett’s Landing are also eligible.
To apply, students must submit an essay
between 1,000 and 2,000 words addressing
this year’s question: “What will Lake George
be like 200 years from now? What will your
descendants be doing on and around Lake
George, and how will their experiences on
Lake George be different from yours today?”
Essays must be received by April 1 and
should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].
A sub-committee of the Lake George
Land Conservancy board of directors and
staff will determine the winner. Essays will
be judged on demonstrated knowledge of
Lake George and creativity. Award decisions
will be announced by June 1.
For more information contact Helen Barton Benedict, LGLC’s development manager, at 644-9673 or e-mail hbartonbenedict@
lglc.org, or visit www.lglc.org/GetInvolved/
Scholarship.asp for more details.
The Lake George Land Conservancy is
a non-profit land trust dedicated to working with willing landowners to protect
the water quality of Lake George and to
permanently preserve the natural, scenic,
historic and recreational resources of the
Lake George region.
By Eva Weaver
Jennifer Carusone of Scoville Jewelers,
167 Glen St. in Glens Falls, was chosen from
over 1,500 sales professionals in the world to
be named Hearts On Fire Choice Champion
of 2012.
Hearts on Fire is a brand of diamond created by Glen Rothman, who turned the brand
into a company of international renown.
The Choice Award recognizes Carusone’s
overall excellence in exceeding expectations
set forth by the company. She more than
doubled her sales goal set for her in 2012.
According to Rothman, “Carusone demonstrates what Hearts on Fire truly represents:
passion, energy, and determination. Simply
put, the best.”
Today, Carusone is ranked number three
in the world in unit sales among jewelry
sales professionals who sell Hearts on Fire
diamonds and attends regular diamond
training seminars including Hearts On Fire.
“People in our region seem to prefer items
that have good value, are made well, and will
last. Hearts On Fire offers all of that and
more. My clients appreciate my knowledge
and passion for Hearts On Fire diamonds,”
said Carusone. “I’ve always had an interest
in fashion especially jewelry. What makes
jewelry particularly unique is the added
sentimental value and long lasting memories each time you wear it. The last four
years in the jewelry business have been very
rewarding.”
Carusone grew up in South Glens Falls,
just over the bridge from Scoville Jewelers.
After graduating in 1998 with her bachelor’s
degree from Salisbury State University in
Jennifer Carusone was ranked third in
the world for sales of speciality diamond.
Courtesy Scoville Jewelers
Maryland, she started her career in sales.
She started selling diamonds when she
joined Scoville Jewelers of Glens Falls in
2008.
Scoville Jewelers is a full-service, family
owned business that has been bringing fine
jewelry and diamonds to the region since
1952.
According to the Hearts On Fire company,
there are only about 400 master diamond
cutters that have the skill to cut to its exacting standards.
Carusone can be reached via e-mail at jh@
scovillejewelers.com. The business website
is at www.scovillejewelers.com, and they
can be reached at 793-0151.
Washington County
New Business
Registrations
FEBRUARY
S&J Cellular
DOC’s Repair
Riverside
Essentials Towing & Recovery
Shakedown Café
Quill Media Group
J.C. Neaton Constructional Enterprize
Second Chance Consignment
Awl Done Right Carpentry
Spirit of Johnny Cash
Apropos 99 Bistro
Riverside Farms
Roger’s Recovery Services
Cloud Nine Connection
Critter Sitter
NEXT ISSUE
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SPECIAL SECTION
March
Bank / Asset
Management
Women In Business
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
•
•
Dorsey Safety Consulting
Alicia Dorsey
11 Masters Common South
Queensbury 12804
Lirachamo
Randy St. Claire
717 Route 8
Brant Lake 12818
Inner Goddess Strong Warrior
Shannon Houlihan
7269 Route 9
Chestertown 12817
Northern Contracting & Hauling
Joseph Cummings
17 Mardock Ave.
Glens Falls 12801
Vanessa Enterprises
William Bormann
16 John Hill Road
Stony Creek 12878
Clutter Bug
Tina Wade
80 Rollics Road
Warrensburg 12885
Ram Air
James Orama
16 Minnesota Ave.
Queensbury 12804
27 Shades
Cary Fuller
8 Cardinal Court
Queensbury 12804
The Fox Lair Bar & Restaurant
Lewis Monroe
2467 Route 8
Bakers Mills 12811
Moon Mountain Timber & Excavation
Steven Woods
12 Blackberry Lane
Warrensburg 12885
Rolling Ridge Designs
Scott Heydrick
12 Hillcrest Ave.
Queensbury 12804
Adam Clark Logging
Adam Clark
887 Igerna Road
North Creek 12853
Fishin Mishin Streamers
Barry Leeds
21 Sunrise Lane
Bolton Landing 12814
Dragon Wing Arts
Phyllis Brown
12 Kenworthy Ave.
Glens Falls 12801
R-C Builders
Richard Curran
55 Alpen Ave.
Warrensburg 12885
Flooring Specialists
Walter Scarincio
66 First St.
Glens Falls 12801
Tortuga Hair Salon
Lisa Cicero
878 Route 9
Queensbury 12804
Dynamic Kitchens & Bath
Robert H. Porter
William F. Porter
15 Thistlewood Drive
Queensbury 12804
Anything & Everything General
Contracting
Paul Hotchkiss
8 Linden Ave.
Queensbury 12804
Schoolhouse Marketing
Services
Allan Hoffman
1234 Bay Road
Lake George 12845
April
Home / Real Estate
Insurance / Medical Services
Entrepreneurship
Publication Date: April 15, 2013
Call Today To Reserve Space
(518) 581-0600
Fax: (518) 430-3020
Selina’s Whimsy
Patricia Levy-Weber
5191 Lakeshore Drive
Patti’s Sewing Machines
and More
Patti Estabrook
485 Glen St.
Glens Falls 12801
Park Gallery
Ronald Lauzon
Maple Street
Glens Falls 12803
Smart Clean
Christine Fredericks
54 Crandall St.
Glens Falls 12801
Uncorked-Glens Falls
Richard Cirino
217 Glen St.
Glens Falls 12801
Alibaba Express
Cakal Huseyin
287 Canada St.
Lake George 12845
Quest Commercial Capital
Dean Francis
137 Harrison Ave.
Sisu Racing
Thomas Williams
30 Charlton Lane
Queensbury 12804
Seleen Associates
Kristin Seleen
27 Grove Ave.
Glens Falls 12801
Robert Zilch Architects
Robert Zilch
22 Broad Acres Road
Queensbury 12804
S&J Cellular
Joseph Allen, Scott Heroux
155 Ridge St., Apt. 3
Glens Falls 12801
Addy’s
Angel Melendez
142 Maple St., #3
Glens Falls 12801
Couture Salon
Alyssa Margaret Hatin
1851 Route 9
Lake George 12845
Divine Spirit Massage
Stephanie Lynn Lansburg
88 Ridge St., Room 108
Glens Falls 12801
Happy Feet Mobile Foot Care
Lisa Mohanlar
2 Terrace Ave.
South Glens Falls 12803
Barone’s Auto Sales
Jill Krista Barone
5 Hannaford Road
Glens Falls 12801
North Country Niche
Stephen Studnicky
282 Main St.
Johnsburg 12853
Glenwood Manor Antiques
And More
Paul memore
60 Glenwood Avenue
Queensbury 12804
Continued On Page 6
Specialized MBA Course Made Available Library Is Seeking Nominations For Award
To Veterans Through Empire State College Honoring Philanthropist Henry Crandall
SUNY Empire State College’s School for
Graduate Studies announced in February the
launch of “Credit Where Credit is Due: Veteran
and Service Member Pathway to the MBA .”
Supported by the GMAC Management
Education for Tomorrow (MET) Fund’s Ideas
to Innovation (i2i) Challenge, the program’s
overall goal is to ease veterans’ transition into
civilian business leadership.
Credit Where Credit is Due offers a specialized MBA course specifically designed to
serve veterans transitioning to civilian life
and business leadership.
“Access to Empire State College’s outstanding MBA program is not enough for our
veteran and service member students. The
new Credit Where Credit is Due program does
two things: It provides course work to help
veterans and service members translate their
leadership and management skills to civilian
life and awards graduate credit for what they
have already learned,” said Acting President
Meg Benke.
She said the program “strengthens SUNY’s
education pipeline by saving veterans time
and money and by enhancing their job and
career prospects. At the same time New York
capitalizes on the investment made in service
members and veterans and gets a better educated workforce sooner.”
As part of the program, the college also
awards graduate-level credit toward an
MBA for relevant military training based
on American Council on Education credit
recommendations for military training and
occupational specialties that are relevant to
civilian business leadership.
“With our expertise in evaluating work and
life experience for college credit, adding more
graduate-level options for earning credit for
what our students already know is a logical
next step for the college. Doing so on behalf of
our deserving veterans and service members
is an added bonus,” said Tai Arnold, acting
dean for the college’s School for Graduate
Studies.
“Empire State College continues to provide
the very best programming possible for veteran students and by adding their new Credit
Where Credit is Due initiative for MBA candidates, the college has once again set a higher
standard for educating America’s warriors,”
said Col. (Retired) Jim McDonough, senior
fellow for veterans affairs at the New York
State Health Foundation and past director of
the state Division of Veterans Affairs.
Through its Office of Veteran and Military
Education, the college assists veterans, service members and their families gain access to
all of the education benefits, including tuition
and financial aid, they have earned as part of
their service to the country.
The college’s OVME has partnerships with
all branches of the military dating back to
2000 and has been named a military friendly
institution by leading publications year after
year.
The college also hosts a counselor from the
state Division of Veterans’ Affairs at its office
in Saratoga Springs bringing the college’s and
the state’s services together.
The college’s new program expands the
college’s offerings specifically tailored for
the military. In November of 2011, the college
began offering a new Graduate Certificate
in Veterans Services , which is designed to
provide professionals with additional education and skills to meet the needs of veterans
in accessing available social services such
as health care, education, employment and
housing.
The college’s School for Graduate Studies
offers master’s degree programs in business,
education, policy and liberal studies as well
as several advanced certificates. Graduate
students take courses online and in some
programs students work with faculty and
other students face to face in study groups
or weekend residencies, which are similar to
conferences and seminars.
Crandall Public Library Board of Trustees
will again recognize an outstanding member
of the library community by awarding the
fourth annual Henry Crandall Award to an
individual selected from public nominations.
Nominations are now open for the 2013
Henry Crandall Award, libray officials said.
Members of the public are encouraged to
nominate an individual they feel meets the
criteria outlined below. The recipient will
be honored during the library’s annual gala
on Sept. 6.
Crandall Public Library presents the
Henry Crandall Award annually to one individual whose actions exemplify the values
and legacy of Library founder Henry Crandall (1821-1913). Crandall, Glens Falls’
“Grand Old Man,” was an entrepreneurial
lumberjack who wisely invested in a lumber
business during the mid 1800s.
Library officials noted his company’s
star-shaped log mark appears in the award
logo, a symbol of his hard work and perseverance. After his retirement, Crandall
dedicated his life to bettering his community and, as such, became known as one of
Glens Falls’ greatest philanthropists.
His concern for quality of life, education,
and the welfare of children was demonstrated through many acts of generosity and
kindness, both small and grand, according
to the library. His contributions include
many of Glens Falls’ greatest assets, such
as Crandall Public Library, Crandall Park,
and City Park.
As important as the structures and
spaces he founded, Crandall’s legacy can
be found in the resounding influence he
has had on a community that, more than
a century after his passing, continues to
embrace and reflect his altruistic spirit,
officials said.
The recipient of the Henry Crandall
Award will:
• Reflect the positive values of Henry
Crandall, including generosity, perseverance, loyalty, compassion, civic pride, and
philanthropy.
• Have affected the improvement of the
community.
• Have demonstrated commitment to
Crandall Public Library.
• Have resided or worked in the Southern Adirondack Library System service
area.
• Is not currently a Crandall Public Library employee, trustee, or Friends board
member.
Individuals may nominate themselves or
others. (No posthumous nominations). Past
recipients are Richard J. Bartlett, principal
in the law firm Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart &
Rhodes, PC; Christopher H. Scoville, owner
of Scoville Jewelers; and state Sen. Betty
Little.
Nomination forms may be downloaded
from the library website (www.crandalllibrary.com) or picked up at any of the
library’s public desks.
For a candidate to be considered, the
nominator must complete a nomination
form and essay and submit them to Crandall Public Library (Attn: Henry Crandall
Award) by mail, in person, or via e-mail.
The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on
Sunday, March 31. Nominations will be
reviewed and a recipient selected by the
Library Board of Trustees. The 2013 award
recipient will be announced May 1.
The award will be presented during
the Library’s gala benefit, held at The
Queensbury Hotel.
For more information, visit www.crandalllibrary.org or call 792-6508, extension
284. Nominations may be mailed or handdelivered to Crandall Public Library, Attn:
Henry Crandall Award, 251 Glen St., Glens
Falls, NY 12801. They may also be e-mailed
to [email protected].
Too Busy To Keep Up With
What’s Going On In
The Tri-County
Business Community?
Business Briefs
As part of its continuing Community Heroes
Campaign, Hudson River Community
Credit Union (HRCCU) donated $250 last
month to the Hope 7 Food Pantry in Troy.
HRCCU’s Community Heroes Campaign
donates $5 for each new HRCCU member or
current member who adds a product or service
during the month. To date, this campaign has
generated thousands of dollars in donations to
local community organizations.
The Hope 7 Food Pantry was opened in 1987
and serves well over 100 families per month. It
also functions as a hub for connecting people
to various other services they need related to
government entitlement programs, health care,
employment, housing, childcare and personal
concerns.
Need To Know What Your Competition Is Doing?
To Get A Concise Readable Overview, Subscribe To
Glens Falls Business Journal
P.O. Box 766, Saratoga Springs, Ny 12866
Saratoga Business Journal
or P.O. Box 766, Saratoga Springs, Ny 12866
Go on our website
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com or
www.saratogabusinessjournal.com
and click on the subscription tab.
You may also mail your check in the amount of
$25.00 for 12 issues made
payable to Weinhagen Associates LLC
Name
Firm
Address
City
State
Zip Code
2000 Business Of The Year
Adirondack Regional Chamber Of Commerce
P.O. Box 766 • Saratoga Springs, New York 12866
(518) 581-0600 • Fax: (518) 430-3020 • www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
Editorial: [email protected]
Advertising: [email protected]
Publisher & Editor
Harry Weinhagen
Associate Editor
R.J. DeLuke
Editor Emeritus
Rod Bacon
Sales and Customer Service
Harry Weinhagen Peg Bacon
Production Manager
Samantha Bacon-Racine
Contributing Writers
Lisa Balschunat Raymond Brown Susan Campbell Pamela Fisher Ann Hauprich
Barbara Brewer LaMere Jill Nagy Katie Navarra Eva Weaver Maureen Werther
Glens Falls Business Journal is published monthly, the second week of each month, by Weinhagen Associates, LLC
and mailed to business and professional people in Warren and Washington counties.
Glens Falls Business Journal is independently owned and is a registered tradename of Weinhagen Associates,
LLC, P.O. Box 766, Saratoga Springs, New York l2866 (518) 581-0600. Glens Falls Business Journal is a registered
tradename in New York.
Glens Falls Business Journal has been founded to promote business in Warren and Washington counties and to
provide a forum that will increase the awareness of issues and activities that are of interest to the business community. Subscription price is $25.00 per year. Third class postage paid at Glens Falls, New York.
Rights to editorial content and layouts of advertising placed with Glens Falls Business Journal which are the creative
effort of its contractors, and printing materials supplied by Glens Falls Business Journal are the property of Glens
Falls Business Journal and may not be reproduced by photographic or similar methods, or otherwise, without the
specific authorization of Glens Falls Business Journal.
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Fingerpaint,an advertising agency in
Saratoga Springs, was recently named agency
of record for Glens Falls Hospital.
Glens Falls Hospital comprises a
comprehensive health care system spanning
six southern Adirondack counties over 3,300
square miles. The hospital’s main campus and
27 regional facilities provide a broad array of
primary care, rehab, specialty and surgical
services to individuals in Glens Falls and the
surrounding region.
As agency of record, Fingerpaint will support the health care system’s branding efforts,
digital marketing, and internal and external
communications.
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CDPHP has again been selected as one of
the Best Companies to Work for in New York
State. This is the fifth consecutive year that
CDPHP has been chosen by the Best Companies
Group, in conjunction with New York State
Society for Human Resource Management, as
one the state’s top large employers.
The award is based on the company’s
workplace policies, systems, and practices,
as well as a survey that measures employee
satisfaction.
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The board of directors of Arrow Financial
Corp. (NasdaqGS – AROW) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share payable
March 15, to shareholders of record on March
1. This represents an increase of 2 percent over
the cash dividend paid in the first quarter of
2012, officials said.
Arrow Financial Corp. is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Glens Falls,
and is the parent of Glens Falls National Bank
and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and
Trust Co.
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North Country Engineering PC of
Lake George, a provider of energy efficiency
and utility rebate/incentive administration
services, placed second in National Grid’s 2012
Energy Solutions Partner (ESP) Challenge.
Awards were based on the energy solutions
partner who saved their clients the most energy
in the last quarter of 2012.
National Grid’s ESP program was initiated
to encourage medium to large commercial
and industrial customers to reduce their
energy use and carbon footprint. If a customer implements the recommended energy
efficiency measures, National Grid’s incentive
program funds up to 50 percent of the cost of
the project and reduce the simple payback to
as low as six months.
National Grid’s incentives can be 143 percent larger than other incentive programs and
his clients receive the entire incentive as soon
as the improvement is made.
National Grid also funds 100 percent of a
scoping study to identify energy efficiency
measures worth pursuing.
In 2012, North Country Engineering helped
to secure $350,000 in implementation incentives from National Grid for two clients. These
projects will also save more than $200,000
annually in energy costs.
HLG Enterprises
Kevin Albino
8 Anethyst Drive
Queensbury 12804
Deux Flutes
Karen Rager
82 Hunter Lane
Queensbury 12804
Northeast Mine Safety Service
James Hill
9 Pasco Ave.
Warrensburg 12885
Picture Perfect Photography
Macarise May Swearingin
378 Johnson Road
Adirondack 12808
Extoria Tatoo
Edward Miller
Anthony Fidd Jr.
181 Canada St.
Lake George 12815
RJ Transport
Robert Joiner
16 Newcomb St.
Queensbury 12804
Personal Training Solutions
William Barotti
Sebsatian Luciann
13 June Drive
Queensbury 12804
Landry Professional
Home Services
Seth Landry
12 Byrne Road
Glens Falls 12801
Continued On Page 7
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Personnel Briefs
Woman Named Habitat For Humanity’s
Director, Agency Occupies New Offices
She and her husband
have a home on the
historic Apperson Lane
in Bolton Landing. She
has been president of
the Lake George Community Garden Club
and helps Lake George
Land Conservancy with
mailings and event
preparations.
Ryterband is the
president of Frederic
W. Cook & Co., a consulting firm providing
services to corporate
board compensation
Committees. He received his B.S. in environmental and business economics from
Rutgers University, and
is M.B.A. in finance and management from New
York University’s Stern School of Business.
He and his family have a vacation home in
Diamond Point.
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Keir Weimer joined Select Sotheby’s
International realty as a licensed salesperson.
Weimer brings to the organization experience working with multinational corporations,
as an entrepreneur in several contexts, and as
a real estate professional with a strong grasp
of the market. In January of 2012, he founded
and became president of his own real estate
investment and holding firm, The Thistle Island
Group, LLC.
In an effort to grow his real estate investment firm in tandem with a successful career
as an agent, Weimer came on board with Select
Sotheby’s International Realty. He brings with
him an extensive knowledge of the area and
the Adirondack Park.
Select Sotheby’s has offices in Lake George
and Saratoga Springs.
Matt La Farr was recently hired by Tech II
Business Services Inc. as a technical account
manager. Also, Derek Guby was recently
promoted from sales engineer to technical
account manager.
La Farr has over 20 years in marketing and
sales, recently finishing up a ten-year stint as
the quality assurance coordinator with the now
defunct Colwell & Salmon Communications.
With Tech II, he is responsible for onboarding
new clients as well as managing existing ones.
Guby has five years of experience in information technology and has been a part of Tech
II for close to 8 years. His responsibilities
include managing customer accounts, acting
as a liaison between customers, vendors and
engineers, and to build, implement and manage
IT related solutions.
Guby has received a bachelor’s in mathematics and two-year MBA degree with a concentration in IT management from SUNY Albany.
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Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP has
named a new associate: Vitaliy Volpov.
Volpov will join the Labor and Employment
Practice Group. Before joining the firm, Volpov
was a law clerk and a
court attorney at the
state Court of Appeals
for Judge Victoria A.
Graffeo. He is a member of the New York
State and American
Bar Associations.
Volpov obtained his
Juris Doctor degree,
summa cum laude,
from Albany Law
School in May 2010, where he was an executive
editor of lead articles on the Albany Law Review. In addition, he graduated with a bachelor
of arts degree in English from Union College.
He is a recipient of the David Siegel Scholarship and the John Alexander Memorial Scholarship. He is fluent in Russian and English.
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga,
Warren and Washington Counties announced
the selection of Courtney Shaler Smith as its first
executive director.
The agency has also moved to new office space,
located in Glens Falls Technical Park.
Established in 1991, Habitat for Humanity has
built 20 houses as an all-volunteer organization,
partnering with families to provide them with
simple, decent, and affordable housing.
Support for this work comes from local businesses, churches, community organizations and
individuals.
“We are so pleased that Courtney has joined
us as our first executive director” said Deirdre
O’Callaghan, Habitat chapter president. “Our
chapter’s transition from a volunteer organization
to professional staff will allow us to better serve our
families, partners and volunteers, and we believe
Courtney brings the skills and enthusiasm to help
our organization to move forward.”
Shaler Smith’s resume includes over 15 years
of experience in the not-for-profit sector. Most
recently, she coordinated community health grants
that covering four counties, expanding outreach efforts, building capacity and mobilizing community
involvement.
She is a graduate of the College of St. Joseph
with a B.A. in business and leadership. In 2012,
she was named one of the Post Star’s Top 20 Under
40. Additionally, she serves in a volunteer capacity
Ambassador for the Adirondack Regional Chamber
of Commerce and as a troop leader for Girl Scouts
of Northeastern NY.
“I am looking forward to partnering with the
Canine Design
“Most of my appointments are completed oneon-one,” said Trombley. “This allows me to connect
with the animal from start to finish. Dogs will come
in the first time shaking, and the next time they
come, they’re happy. Their tails are wagging.”
Trombley said business has been steady since
opening and she has recently joined the Adirondack
Courtney Shaler Smith is the first executive
director of the area’s Habitat for Humanity.
Courtesy Habitat for Humanity
Habitat board and volunteers, to make the dream
of home ownership a reality for as many families
as possible.” Shaler Smith said. “I am especially
excited to new create relationships within the
local business and religious communities, while
simultaneously expanding and building on our
existing ones.”
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga,
Warren and Washington Counties is a community‐driven nonprofit organization that
develops working partnerships with local businesses, churches, community organizations and
other individuals to build affordable housing
for people in need. For more information, visit
www.glensfallshabitat.org.
Regional Chamber of Commerce to gain more exposure and make additional connections.
She said many of the animals she has seen have
become regular clients. She often gains new clients
from word-of-mouth advertising.
Canine Design & Spa is open Tuesday through
Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays until 6 p.m.
by appointment only, and Saturdays by appointment only.
For more information call 792-3647 or visit
the spa’s facebook page www.facebook.com/
PetStylingByCindy.
Champaigne & Lollipops
Concierge
Leyla Castler
55 Noble Way
Queensbury 12804
Tech Guys
Brandon Vanderwerker
Nicholas Moffitt
473 Dix Ave.
Queensbury 12804
Eloise Palmisano RH NPP
Eloise Marie Palmisano
499 Glen St.
Glens Falls 12801
Poodles Custom Welding
Keith Voyec
23 Glenmar Drive
Queensbury 12804
Continued On Page 12
Michael Crayford, Owner
Adirondack Closet Systems
Hudson Falls, NY
Reads
SPECIAL SECTION
glens falls BUSINESS JOURNAL
Office / HR / Employment
•
Business Report
HR Should Report To CEO, Not CFO
By Rose Miller
As HR consultants with clients throughout the region and nationally, we see many
organizational structures.
Surprisingly, when it comes to who HR
reports to, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between size and structure. Many
companies, large, medium and small, have
Human Resources reporting to the CFO.
Conversely, we see some startups where the
CEO believes HR should be their “number
one”.
We see many companies that give insightful reasons why HR should report to the
CEO or owners. Jack Welch’s famous golden
triangle is composed of the CEO, CFO and
HR tied together equally.
We can see why businesses tend to give
HR to finance. As a business grows, it
begins to add employees. The first type of
HR activity is staffing, next comes payroll
and benefits. So often, the first person assigned HR duties is also doing the payroll
and bookkeeping. It’s a focus on function
rather than people.
We believe that HR should always report
to the CEO or the most senior person in
the company. Data shows that most highly
Job Recruiters Help Companies Find The
Right Candidates For High-Skill Positions
•
Rose Miller of Pinnacle Human Resources
LLC, in Albany.
Courtesy Pinnacle Human Resources
successful companies have HR reporting
directly to the CEO. I have outlined the
major reasons why we believe this, intertwined with reasons why HR should not
report to finance.
If you believe that the right people are
Dhianna Yezzi, owner of Integrated Staffing Corp., says companies can save money by
using a staffing agency to take care of job recruiting, Workmen’s Comp and related issues.
By R.J. DeLuke
One of the key reasons that companies
work with staffing agencies is to cut down on
expenses, a consideration that is often toward
the front of business planning.
Dhianna Yezzi, owner of Integrated Staffing
Corp., which has an office at 5 Warren Street
in Glens Falls, said companies “are saving a
lot of money on Workmen’s Comp, taxes and
separation issues” when they decide to work
with staffing companies rather than handle
things in-house.
That’s not the end of expenses a company
would get involved in when they handle employee- and employment-related matters.
When Integrated Staffing gets involved in
hiring, she said, candidates are extensively
screened. At least three references are used
and there is also a thorough background check
conducted and drug testing carried out.
“These are expenses a corporation may not
want to invest in,” Yezzi said.
Yezzi runs a locally owned and operated
temporary, temporary-to-permanent and permanent staffing firm with over 20 years of
local staffing experience. The company offers
employers a range of services for temporary
and contract recruitment.
She said wen it comes to conducting searches for qualified people to fill positions, staffing
forms use a lot more complex Internet search
engines that come with a cost. They also are
necessary to achieve the best results.
Staffing agencies are suited to do these kinds
of searches as a matter of routine.
Dealing with people seeking jobs is also part
of an agency’s work load.
Yezzi said for job seekers approaching a
staffing agency, “It’s a great way to get a foot
in the door (of a company that has openings)
that they might not be able to get elsewhere.
It gives them a start.”
Yezzi said her company has contracts with
some large international companies, and also
deals with many local companies as well.
She noted that “in this economy, we have
more than enough applicants.“ Finding the
right jobs is the more time consuming area.
But regarding the current employment outlook, she said, “We have a lot of jobs available.”
The market “is definitely improving. There are
more jobs. Manufacturing is up.”
She noted that “health care is probably one
of the fastest growing industries,” not just for
those who provide the care, but in related areas
like the manufacturing of health care devices
and in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Her company is busy and 2013 things are
buzzing thus far in 2013.
Integrated staffing can be reached at 7927823 and its website is http://integratedstaffingcorp.com.
SPECIAL SECTION
Construction Planning
New Structure In Wilton Will Become New Projects In Hudson Falls Are Among Many
Eye Care Center For Glens Falls Hospital Construction Activities In Area This Spring
This artist’s rendering depicts what the new eye care center near Northway Exit 16 will
look like when MLB Constuction is finished building it later this year.
This building at 124 Main St. in Hudson Falls, called Bank Commons, is being renovated to
feature luxury apartments on the upper floors to compliment first floor commercial space.
Courtesy Glens Falls Hospital
By Jill Nagy
A new free-standing eye surgery clinic
will open this summer in Wilton. The
clinic, which will specialize in cataract and
retinal surgery, is a joint project of Glens
Falls Hospital, North Country Eye Center
(NCEC) Holdings LLC, and four local ophthalmologists.
Ground was broken in November for the
clinic. At this point, the exterior walls and
roof are in place and work is about to start
on the interior framing and installation of
plumbing, electricity and other utilities.
The finished building will resemble a
large single-story house more than a hospital, officials said. It is located on North
Road near Northway Exit 16 in Wilton, on
land owned by Glens Falls Hospital. It is
adjacent to the Glens Falls Hospital Medical Center.
The doctors involved, all board-certified
ophthalmologists practicing in Glens Falls
and Saratoga Springs, are Dr. Amjad Hammad, Dr. David Westfall, Dr. Mark Hite and
Dr. Steven Solomon.
“This facility will develop into a center
for excellence in eye surgery with special
emphasis on the latest technology and
techniques in cataract and retinal surgery,”
according to Hammad, who is also CEO of
NCEC.
He noted that 70 percent of eye surgeries in the United States are performed in
free-standing clinics. These are typically
outpatient procedures requiring relatively
short stays in the medical facility.
“New York state has lagged behind other
states in this field,” he pointed out. “We are
excited to work with Glens Falls Hospital
in developing and providing our patients
with higher quality and more cost effective
choices,” he added.
David Kruczlnicki, president and CEO
of Glens Falls Hospital, shared Hammad’s
enthusiasm. “We are confident this will be
a meaningful and enduring partnership
that will improve vision care throughout
the region,” he said, predicting that, “It
will advance patient connectivity within
our health care system and increase the
hospital’s operating room capacity for other
surgical procedures.”
MLB Construction Services in Ballston
Spa is doing the project. Officials for the
company said the structure will be 9,000
square feet on one story, and will be expandable as the needs of the facility grow.
Glens Falls Hospital is a 410-bed not-forprofit community hospital founded in 1897.
It serves a six-county region in northeastern New York state through the main
hospital and 29 regional locations.
Courtesy Glen Street Associates
By R.J. DeLuke
Construction projects are already buzzing
in the Glens Falls region, including a pair
of projects in the village of Hudson Falls
that officials hope will upgrade the face of
downtown.
Peter Hoffman, president of Glen Street
Associates in Glens Falls, is finishing up a
renovation project called Bank Commons,
124 Main St. in Hudson Falls.
The project occupies a city block, with a
parking lot. The 18,000-square-foot project
will feature three luxury apartments with two
bedrooms each. On the ground floor will be
commercial space. There is currently a flower
shop there, and there is more available office
and commercial space.
The building is renovated with bright tall
windows, hardwood floors, an elevator and
high ceilings. A historic property constructed
as The First National Bank of Hudson Falls
at the turn of the 20th century, it sits on the
southern end of Juckett Park in the village.
The apartments boast granite counter tops,
stainless steel appliances, ceramic kitchens
and baths, elevator service and private parking.
The project “benefits the village forever
more,” said Hoffman. It has been vacant for
about six years and will become 6,000 square
feet of usable space to benefit the village’s
downtown area.
“You’ve got to turn the lights on in these
buildings that have gone into disrepair,” he
said, referring to transforming them into
bright, modern, usable properties. “If you turn
the lights on, you revitalize a city.”
Bruce Levinsky of Merlin Development in
Saratoga Springs is making further renovations to 221 Glen Street in Glens Falls, that
once housed Godnick Furniture. There is
currently commercial space on the ground
floor, but the three upper floors are being
transformed into 20 upscale apartments.
Levinsky said the interior demolition phase
of the project started recently. He expects the
apartments to be available by the fall.
The need for more apartments in downtowns like Glens Falls and Hudson Falls, he
said, “is a reflection of the migration of people
from areas outside the city to downtown
urban living.”
He said the Glens Falls area has a lot of
potential in that regard and “is reminiscent of
the early development of the city of Saratoga
Springs.”
Hoffman has another project going in Glens
Falls, where Warren Street Square on Warren
Street is finishing up.
After a historically sensitive renovation,
the 21,000-square-foot portion of the buildContinued On Page 12
SPECIAL SECTION
Legal / Accounting
•
Business Report
What A Data Breach Costs
By Keith Becker
Legal issues arising from a data breach are in
the news almost daily. For all companies, a data
breach has become a means of exploitation
for cyber criminals to extract confidential and
private information from computers, websites
and networks.
We all now have the wonderful opportunity
to use technology to make our businesses more
efficient and more widely known. In most
cases, the common users are unaware of all
the possible dangers that lie out there while
using these tools. This is very unfortunate as
many of these dangers can cause the company
to become liable for a breach in documentation
and resources.
No one is removed from these attacks and
it has become more evident that any company
can become a target as the attackers become
craftier and more knowledgeable. They are
able to use the information against the businesses or their clients as blackmail or even to
sell the information to the highest bidder. We
personally deal with these kinds of issues on
a daily basis, and can never be certain where
and when they will strike.
In the past year, the number of companies
that have had their data compromised has
Courtesy Tech II Business Systems Inc.
grown to become a serious problem. The legal
ramifications of such a breach of data can span
from very little to very serious consequences
financial and legal.
It is very important to have a method in
place both with a good technology services
Albany - Saratoga - Latham
Call us today!
President
•
Keith Becker, systems engineer for Tech II
Business Systems Inc., Saratoga Springs.
Servicing the Private and Public Sectors
• On-Site HR Consulting
• Workforce Training Programs
• Compliance Training
• Talent Acquisition Services
• HRIS Selection and Implementation Services
• COBRA Administration
Rose Miller, SPHR
CPA Separates From Partnership, Opens
His Own Practice In Downtown Glens Falls
[email protected]
Office: (518) 486-8151
Fax (518) 713-1268
www.pinnaclehrllc.com
Rick Fuller opened his own accounting office at 79 Warren St. in Glens Falls where he is
looking to add more services to the list of things he provides to small businesses.
BY PAMELA FISHER
For more than 30 years, Rick Fuller has
been providing accounting services to the
Glens Falls region and beyond. But after
years of co-managing Fuller & LaFiura
Certified Public Accountants PC, Fuller has
separated from the partnership in an effort
“to go in a different direction.”
Starting 2013, Fuller opened his own
accounting office, located at 79 Warren
St. in Glens Falls, and he looks forward to
providing more services to the area’s small
businesses.
“My goal is to focus intently on helping
small businesses to climb, “said Fuller.
“After tax season, I am planning to launch
small business checkups.”
Fuller described the checkup service
as helping businesses to avoid dead ends
in terms of their operations. He described
his role as being much like a general practitioner, but asking questions that will
determine the health and sustainability of
small businesses.
“I hope to be a sounding board, someone
to bounce ideas off of, because I think it is
important for small business owners to have
access to good advice.”
Fuller said he has gained feedback from
the community that this would be a beneficial service.
“In many cases small businesses have
been dealing with the same accountant for
thirty years and have never had another set
of eyes take a look at things,” said Fuller.
“Often small business owners do everything,
and as businesses grow they can benefit
from having the right advisers on board to
form a team around the business owner.”
Fuller’s practice additionally offers tax
compliance services for corporations, individuals, and in some cases when audits
are not required, nonprofit organizations.
He is experienced in tax planning, and he is
also a Quickbooks Pro-advisor with years of
experience in bookkeeping consulting and
helping with internal control.
On a limited basis, Fuller said he also
calculates people’s pay rate for client
convenience. One change from Fuller’s
previous business is that he will no longer
be conducting audits.
Fuller anticipates opening a Saratoga
Springs office in the near future. The Glens
Falls office currently has two full time and
four part time staff, and Fuller plans to hire
another staffer in 2014.
Fuller can be reached at 636-5166.
Whittemore, Dowen & Ricciardelli, LLP
Certified Public Accountants & Business Consultants
WDR is your trusted financial resource for success.
Expert insight coupled with personalized professional service,
is the strength we use to maximize success for every client.
• Management & Business Advisory Services
• Tax Advisory Services
• Auditing & Assurance
• Financial Accounting and Reporting
• Fraud Audit & Risk Management
• Estate, Trust and Financial Planning
518.792.0918
333 Aviation Road, Bldg. B
Queensbury, NY 12804
www.wdrcpa.com
518.584.0770
112 Spring Street, Suite 307
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
•
Business Report
Forensic Accountants And Legal Issues
By Pamela D. Wickes
Each year most of the professional services I render relate to litigation. Whether
assessing economic damages for lost
profits, investigating alleged unreported
income, quantifying the damages from
employee embezzlements, performing various forensic accounting investigations for
divorces, or tracing assets, cash flows or
other financial transactions, I find that a
breach of trust is often at the heart of the
allegations.
It’s in these unfortunate criminal and
civil issues that lawyers and forensic accountants intersect. Forensic accountants
can work closely with attorneys in virtually every step of the litigation process to
streamline the discovery and investigation,
to interpret and communicate findings, to
facilitate settlement, and to provide expert
testimony, if necessary.
You wonder--How is a forensic accountant different from the traditional
accountant that prepares my tax return?
The forensic accountant has attained
fundamental forensic knowledge and credentials beyond their CPA license, such
as certified in financial forensics (CFF),
certified fraud examiner (CFE), or certified forensic financial analyst (CFFA).
Fundamental forensic knowledge includes certain areas of the law, dispute
resolution and courts, and information
gathering and preservation. In addition,
CFEs have attained education and experience in the areas of fraudulent financial
transactions, criminology and ethics, legal
elements of fraud, and fraud investigation.
Forensic accounting is accounting characteristic of, or suitable for a court of law.
A fraud investigation always qualifies as
forensic accounting because it either is, or
has high probability to be, related to a lawsuit. Yet, interestingly, forensic accounting
is not always a fraud investigation. For
example, when performing forensic accounting procedures to determine whether
an asset should be classified as pre-marital
(before marriage) or marital (after marriage) pursuant to a divorce matter, does
not constitute a fraud investigation.
Employee embezzlement (fraud) is the
area in my line of work where I most often
see the breach of trust I referred to above.
Each time I investigate an employee
embezzlement, the jaded employees left
behind almost always describe their shock
that one of their most trusted employees has
committed fraud against the company. It’s
unfortunate that I am most often engaged
after there has been an incident reported
or a lawsuit commenced because companies
would benefit more from hiring someone like
me before they uncover an issue to help them
establish preventive controls.
Did you know a recent fraud study
revealed that the typical organization
loses an estimated 5 percent of its annual
revenue to fraud?
What’s worse, in my opinion, is that
external audits of the financial statements were the most commonly utilized
control analyzed; employed by more than
80 percent of the victim organizations in
said fraud study, which was performed by
the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Yet, in contrast, only 3 percent of the
frauds in the study were detected by an
external audit.
My concern is that non-CPAs place too
much reliance on the financial statement
audit to detect fraud, when, in fact, an
auditor cannot obtain absolute assurance that material misstatements due to
fraud will be detected due to the concealment and characteristics of fraudulent
transactions. A financial statement audit
is planned and performed to obtain a
reasonable assurance that the financial
statements are free of material misstatements; not to specifically search for fraud.
An external audit is a passive anti-fraud
policy. Passive anti-fraud policies typically
result in higher losses when a fraud occurs
•
Pamela Wickes, director of forensic accounting
at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs.
Courtesy Hilltop Construction
due to the comparatively longer duration
of the fraud scheme before detection. Conversely, internal audits, documentation
examinations, IT controls, and management reviews are proactive measures and
have been found to result in smaller losses
and shorter duration.
Further, formal management reviews,
employee support programs and hotlines
were correlated with the greatest decreases in financial losses.
A hotline is a very effect reporting
mechanism, as it provides tipsters, which
can be employees, vendors, customers,
competitors, etc., with anonymity. If you
don’t have a hotline or other confidential
system for reporting suspected violations
of the ethic and anti-fraud policies within
your organization, I recommend you reconsider.
Studies show that this is the top method
of fraud detection. If you have such confidential reporting system in place, you
should survey your employees to see if they
are aware of it.
Part of an anti-fraud program is raising
awareness. Therefore, I encourage you to
ask your employees not only about anonymous tipping, but also other questions that
will allow you to assess their awareness of
the anti-fraud program and the probability
of a fraudulent event occurring within the
organization.
It’s amazing what people will tell you
when you ask; that which they would not
otherwise have offered. Following are
some questions to consider: Does the
company have an ethics statement? Does
senior management exhibit and encourage
ethical behavior? – (the tone should signal
that fraud will not be tolerated). Does the
company have written fraud policies and
procedures?
Are employees provided formal written
job descriptions? – (duties performed
outside of job description represent a red
flag). Do employees appear to be spending
far more than they are earning? – (common red flag). Do employees have a close
association with vendors or competitors?
– (common red flag).
Lastly, in the event a company is the
tragic victim of a fraud, in addition to retaining a lawyer to seek judgment against
the perpetrator, it may be able to make a
claim against its fidelity and crime insurance policy. Forensic accountants prepare
reports for such purposes; however, many
companies are not sufficiently covered for
fraud losses.
The median loss reported in the aforementioned fraud study was $140,000, and
more than one fifth of the cases involved
losses of at least $1 million.
Hopefully, you have time to implement
some additional prevention and detection
measures before Fraudster Way intersects
with Legal Street.
Wickes, CPA, CFE, CFF, ABV, is the
director of forensic accounting services
at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs in
Albany. She can be reached at 456-6663
x108 or [email protected].
•
Business Report
•
‘Cliff’ Adds Uncertainty For Growth
By Jeffrey Stone
When Congress reached a “fiscal cliff”
compromise with the passage of the American
Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, they effectively
extended many of the Bush Era tax cuts that
were set to expire at the close of the year.
For business owners, and most American
taxpayers, this was good news. The not so good
news: this legislation does not address either the
national debt ceiling or the mandatory spending
cuts imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
Unfortunately, this grab-the-good now and
table-the-bad-for-later approach to governing
is not doing a lot to build confidence in the
economy. Nor does the continued partisan
politics of Washington suggest that a unified
approach to developing a plan to reduce the
federal deficit is within reach. The result is
that business owners are left with several unanswered questions that will ultimately keep them
from investing with enough confidence to drive
strong economic growth.
The impact of the “fiscal cliff” compromise
If we look past what Congress did not do—
address spending cuts—and focus on what was
done, we can see the compromise does a number
of good things for businesses, including:
• Only raising the tax rate on couples earning
$450,000 or more and on individuals earning at
least $400,000. This is a higher threshold than
originally proposed and will spare many small
business owners from having to pay higher taxes.
• Extension of tax incentives aimed at
encouraging small businesses to hire new
employees (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) and
invest in equipment and property (the Section
179 deduction and bonus depreciation).
• Preservation of qualified dividends and longterm capital gains rates for single taxpayers,
which will remain at 0 percent for taxpayers in
the bottom two brackets and 15 percent for other
taxpayers. For individual taxpayers earning at
least $400,000 and couples earning more than
$450,000, the rate will rise to 20 percent rate.
However, the expiration of the Social Security payroll tax means taxpayers will have less
disposable income than they did in 2012, as the
tax rate has increased from 4.2 percent to the
former level of 6.2 percent.
This increase essentially offsets much of
the annual growth of income households have
experienced the last few years. Considering that
sluggish consumer spending has been a primary
reason for the slow recovery, it is natural for
business owners to fear that less take home pay
for their customers will translate to reduced
revenues.
While the U.S. continues to struggle through
the mature phase of the economic cycle with
very weak economic growth, the chances of
a recession seem much lower than they were
in 2012. The emerging economies of the world
have also taken steps to improve growth. In
addition, even though Europe is still unsettled,
the leading indicators in that region suggest
Europe may stabilize as some of its countries
show improved growth.
On the surface, prospects for business are
good. As 2012 closed, consumer sentiment improved and was tilting toward an environment
that favored faster spending growth. However,
household budgets remain pressured by limited
income growth, and despite the decline in gas
prices, consumers continue to be concerned
Jeff Stone is Capital Region KeyBank
president, with an office in Albany.
Courtesy KeyBank
about rising costs.
Also, 77 percent of Americans will be affected
by the increase in the payroll tax. The impact of
this increase remains to be seen. However, for
many households, which out of necessity are
already operating from paycheck to paycheck,
this loss of income is significant—a direct hit
to their budget.
In addition, small businesses continue to
struggle with the cost of the Affordable Care
Act and other new government regulations
that became settled when President Obama
secured his re-election. As a result, businesses
are worried about costs becoming higher than
projected. Consequently, businesses will probably not invest more than is needed to satisfy
current demands.
Another barrier to the aggressive investment
from businesses that would spur stronger economic growth is the deficit crisis. The American
Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 provided only a small
down payment on the government’s $1 trillion
annual deficit, which means our political leaders still need to compromise on reductions
and revenue as they enter into debt ceiling
negotiations.
Many businesses probably suspect that their
tax rates may still go higher. Recent comments
out of Washington, D.C., have done little to ease
this concern. And if there is one thing we know
for certain, the market does not act favorably
when faced with uncertainty.
Even with uncertainty, the economic outlook
is positive.
The provisions from the “fiscal cliff” legislation and unsettled deficit concerns will provide
at least a modest drag on the U.S. economy.
However, GDP is growing, overseas economies
are improving, reports out of emerging markets
are promising and equities should achieve
decent gains in 2013. Washington will also deal
with the deficit crisis—at the eleventh hour.
Overall, the economic outlook for 2013 is
more favorable than it was in 2012. Still, much
hinges on what will happen in Washington in the
coming months. So businesses and analyst are
right to be only cautiously optimistic. Greater
confidence will come with increased market
certainties.
Jeff Stone is president of KeyBank’s Capital
Region. His office is at 66 South Pearl St. in
Albany, and he may be reached at 257-8643 or
[email protected].
Construction Activities
ing is already being leased. The spaces boast
hardwood mill floors, brick walls, antique
architectural lighting and there is plenty of
off-street parking, .
Warren Street Square is right in the center
of downtown. The L-shaped building is located at the corner of Warren and Jay streets
and stretches in the back to Fredella Avenue.
A 6.5-foot diameter clock sits atop centuryold building. The clock bears the name of one
of the building’s early owners, the Joubert &
White Carriage Co., a carriage and buckboard
manufacturer that operated at the Warren
Street building in the early 1900s, according
to Hoffman.
A circa-1950s Frederic Remington reproduction bronze statue that Hoffman bought
from a dealer outside Boston sits in a garden
courtyard outside the complex.
Among other activities in the region, The
Michaels Group, which has an office in Malta,
is involved in a variety of housing projects in
the area. Its newest neighborhood is called
Pruyn Crest, located in the South Glens Falls
school district.
Cindy Quade of Signature Homes Realty
and director of sales for The Michaels Group,
said the neighborhood will consist of 40-plus
traditional single-family homes and will
feature some of the company’s most popular
designs along with some new home plans to
choose from.
“We have already started receiving phone
calls and e-mails from prospective purchasers asking to add their name to the list for
when we open for sales and we haven’t even
made any announcements or advertised yet,”
she said.
In Queensbury, The Michaels Group just
introduced The Villas at Hiland Crossings,
which offers a choice between attached town
homes or detached single-family homes, both
maintenance free.
“There is a big demand for the Villa style
home that still provides for that maintenancefree lifestyle. We did this in our Halfmoon
neighborhood, Sheldon Hills, and it was
hugely received,” she noted.
Another newer project is Knox Lane in
Glens Falls, a small neighborhood of seven
homes on a street with a cul de sac. Sutton
Place, near West Mountain, has a few sites
left, she said.
Woodscape II in Moreau will consist of 54
homes that are traditional single-family and
also maintenance-free single family homes,
said Quade. That development is about half
filled out, she added.
Scott Shepherd, vice president of operations at MLB Construction recently finished
a project related to Queensbury-based
SUNY Adirondack. The college now has
another campus in Wilton, on Route 9, that
makes it easier for residents to the south
to attend.
The two-story, 30,000 square foot structure
of Route 9 contains classrooms and offices
and was put to use in the fall 2012 semester.
“It’s a really nice facility; a great addition
for this area,” Shepherd said.
MLB “is excited about everything going on,”
he said, noting that the presence of the mammoth GlobalFoundries microchip fabrication
plant in Malta has become “a game changer”
in terms of boosting the local economy.
Kent McNairy, president/treasurer of
Northern Design & Building Associates Ltd.
in Hudson Falls, said he anticipates a modest
improvement for construction in 2013. His
company does on-the-lot design and build of
homes for people who already have their lot
purchased.
He said he has projects going in Pilot Knob
near Lake George, Assembly Point, also near
Lake George, Long Lake, Plattsburgh and Old
Forge. His firm does jobs throughout new York
and New England, so his look at the economy
is not focused just on the Glens Falls region.
McNairy said financing for home buyers
still remains difficult, as banks have tightened
requirements. It has made it difficult for some
people to qualify. In the past, it may have been
too easy, he noted, “but the pendulum has
swung from too easy to too difficult.”
Still, he foresees a rise in activity of 10-15
percent over last year.
Tom Albrecht of Hilltop Construction in
Hudson Falls said he is “extremely optimistic”
about the local housing market. “Money is
starting to move. There’s a pent-up demand”
for new housing, he said.
Hilltop has a project going on in Highland
Park in Queensbury and is also involved in
renovations to the offices of the Glens Falls
National Bank and D.A. Collins Co., both in
Glens Falls.
His company is also doing work inside
Crossgates Mall in Albany, doing commercial
setups as new tenants move into spaces where
other tenants have left.
Perfect Finds
Damian Hayes
Elizabeth Hayes
24 Smith St.
Warrensburg 12855
Heartwood Construction
Mary and Ken Charlse
23 Sweetbriar Lane
Queensbury 12804
One Yoga
Megan Reising
959 Wells St.
Diamond Point, 12824
Nancy’s Sewn Fancies
Nancy Wahlfart
13 Herald Drive
Queensbury 12804
Center for Balanced Life
Tracy Phillips-Perkins LCSWR
453 Dixon Road, Suite 8
Queensbury 12804
Bolton LAnding Farmers
Market
Penelope Jewell
132 Horicon Ave.
•
Business Report
Optimism For Construction Industry
By Tom Albrecht
The current building climate is one of excitement and tremendous growth in the coming year.
The number of construction estimates increased in 2012 and already there has been a
tremendous amount of inquiries for the first
quarter of 2013.
It is very exciting to see money moving with
projects at many different levels; small projects
as well as projects above the $1 million level.
One of the challenges seems to be the lack of
qualified employees that are willing to dedicate
themselves to the building industry. There seems
to be some sort of entitlement that doesn’t quench
the thirst. More incentives, flex time and even
health insurance are becoming almost mandatory.
As the building industry continues to grow
in this area, the demand for skilled technicians
will be great.
The inquiries largely are centered on the
commercial industry, with expanding and newly
formed companies. After the industrial revolution
there were many new companies with new ideas
that are still around today.
The residential sector has limped along for the
past few years, with housing starts down across
the country. However, it seems there is a little
more activity, as the number of building permits
would indicate.
Additions and renovations have been the
mainstay, certainly in the past couple of years.
Many folks have given up on the idea of selling
their home, instead making conversions to their
homes, making changes they would be happy with
for the next 10 years.
•
•
Available Commercial
& Residential Properties
We’d like to promote your commercial or residential property. Call us, 581-0600.
•
Tom Albrecht, president and CEO of
Hilltop Construction Co., Hudson Falls.
Courtesy Hilltop Construction
In general, consumer confidence is a major
indicator of whether folks feel good about their
environment and if they would like to move forward with any kind of investment into their home.
There was serious momentum before Christmas until the “fiscal cliff” situation was talked
about in Congress. That shut things down a
bit. However, I think folks are getting tired of
listening to Washington and the reality here on
Main Street is to spend money, but do it in a
responsible way.
With that being said, builders and developers
should position themselves for a robust year and
an even better 2014.
Mara King of Roohan Realty is the listing agent for this fantastic commercial opportunity located in the downtown business district of Saratoga Springs. This property
consists of a .63-acre lot and a 20-year old one-story building. There is frontage on
two streets: 78’ frontage on Congress Street and 60’ frontage on Washington Street
as well as 20 parking spaces. Surrounded by several mixed-use
multi-story buildings, this is a great location! Please call Mara King
at 587.4500 for additional information.
Offered for $1,900,000
587.4500
RoohanRealty.com
14 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • FEBRUARy 2013
REGIONAL STOCKWATCH
Stock Name
Closing Price
1/18/13
Closing Price Closing Price Closing Price
1/25/13
2/1/13
2/8/13
Albany Int’l
24.16
24.47
25.26
26.23
AMD
2.46
2.85
2.60
2.59
Angiodynamics
11.91
12.24
12.39
11.97
AT & T
33.44
34.02
35.51
35.27
Arrow
24.52
23.75
24.85
24.15
Bank of America
11.14
11.62
11.71
11.76
Boston Scientific
6.70
6.86
7.64
7.70
Citizens Bank
19.47
19.55
19.86
19.70
CR Bard
101.59
103.44
99.35
101.19
First Niagara
8.29
7.82
8.01
7.91
General Electric
22.04
22.29
22.62
22.50
Home Depot
65.47
67.82
67.30
67.01
IBM
194.47
204.97
205.18
201.68
International Paper
41.91
42.51
42.35
42.60
Kadant
27.03
27.47
27.41
25.05
KeyCorp
9.28
9.29
9.47
9.57
Lee
1.24
1.33
1.27
1.37
McDonalds
92.26
93.72
95.95
94.87
National Grid
54.73
55.54
54.79
54.68
NBT Bankcorp
20.82
20.52
20.95
20.73
Proctor & Gamble
69.94
73.25
75.92
75.75
Staples
13.00
12.97
13.51
12.98
Target
61.53
61.54
61.15
62.49
Time Warner Cable
49.93
50.40
50.88
52.57
TD
83.73
83.04
83.79
83.18
Trustco Bank
5.25
5.15
5.28
5.23
UPS
80.25
82.45
79.97
82.38
Verizon
42.54
42.67
44.56
44.35
Walmart
69.20
69.00
70.49
71.48
Friday closing quotes for local stocks of interest provided by Thompson ONE courtesy
of Pamela Green, Financial Planning Specialist and Paul Hebert, Financial Advisor with
the Global Wealth Management Division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member
SIPC in Glens Falls, NY, phone 518-793-4181. The information contained in this article is
not a solicitation to purchase or sell investments.
Report To CEO
Business Report
the drivers to your company’s success, then
why would HR report to the person who
controls the money and who will be measured by the bottom line? HR priorities are
measured by the productivity and alignment
of people to what product or services are
being delivered to customers.
Many times these priorities are in opposition to increasing bottom line results. For
example, a growing company strategically
acknowledges lower margins as a trade-off
to increased market share.
HR can only gain a strategic perspective when she/he has access to the CEO.
HR reporting to any other executive can
limit HR’s effectiveness. When HR has an
extremely confidential or potentially risky
situation involving a manager or a senior
level executive, HR must be free to report
the situation directly to the CEO.
We have seen, first hand, how an unethical executive achieves unchecked power
by making sure HR reports into them. A
good company will have many checks and
balances in place. HR needs to be free to
advocate for effective people and whistle
blowers. If HR reports to finance, they are
moved one step further from where organizational decision-making occurs.
The CEO is the person who shapes the
company culture. A strong HR department
is the “keeper of the culture.” HR becomes
the culture’s best representative. HR supports the culture by hiring the right people,
promoting and developing the people that
resemble the culture.
Rarely, do we see this type of understanding coming from the Finance Department.
When HR reports to Finance, policy decisions are likely to be primarily moneydriven. They focus on costs and lack professional training in motivating and engaging
employees and employee development.
The traits that make an excellent financial person are in opposition to what makes
a good leader. A leader is a visionary with
a talent to think out of the box. Finance is
busy checking the box, trying to control and
stay within the box.
When HR is considered a strategic partner, the role should be seated at the same
level as other strategic partners such as finance, operations, research and Sales. Each
of these partners possesses a particular
expertise in their field. They are all assets
to the organization and one department
should not diminish the role of the other.
These strategic partners have their own,
valuable view of a problem.
There is a saying that most bad decisions
are made due by inadequate information.
When the CEOs can gain data from each
expert, the decisions will have a greater
chance of success.
Where is does your HR report to? Do you
have an HR strategic partner by your side?
I hope this article has given you some food
for thought and perhaps you will make this
change right away.
company and a good legal advisor. Below are
some security tips that you should follow which
are essential to keeping you and your business
less prone to attack.
• Have a strong password of at least 12
characters. No matter how strong an eightcharacter password is, it can now be cracked
in about two hours. A strong 12-character
password takes roughly 17 years to crack. Use a
pass phrase so you can remember the password.
• You may want to log activity on USB ports,
because it is common for employees to lift data
via a thumb drive. Without logging, you cannot
prove exactly what was copied.
• Change the defaults. It doesn’t matter if
you are configuring a wireless router or installing a server operating system. In all cases,
make sure you change any default values. The
default user ID and passwords are well known
for any software or hardware installation.
• Your laptop should be protected with whole
disk encryption—no exceptions. Stolen and
lost laptops are one of the leading causes of
data breaches. Many of the newer laptops have
built-in whole disk encryption. To state the
obvious, make sure you enable the encryption
so your data is protected.
• Backup media, a huge source of data
leaks, should be encrypted. If you use an online
backup service, which means you’re storing
your data in the cloud, make sure the data is
encrypted in transit and while being stored.
• Keep your server in a secure location and
in a locked closet or room. Physical security
is essential.
• Most smartphones write some amount of
data to the phone. Opening a client document
may write it to the smartphone even if you do
not you save it. The iPhone is particularly data
rich. Make sure you have a PIN for your phone.
This is a fundamental protection. Don’t use
“swiping” to protect your phone as thieves can
discern the swipe the vast majority of the time
due to the oils from your fingers. Also make sure
that you can wipe the data remotely if you lose
your phone.
• Wireless networks should be set up
with the proper security. First and foremost,
encryption should be enabled on the wireless device. Whether using Wired Equivalent
Privacy (WEP) 128-bit or Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA) encryption, make sure that all
communications are secure.
• Make sure all critical software updates are
applied. This may be the job of your IT provider,
but too often this is not done.
• Control access. Does your janitor really
need access to QuickBooks? Probably not. This
is just another invitation to a breach.
• If you terminate an employee, and immediately cut all possible access (including
remote) to your network.
• Using cloud providers for software applications is fine, provided that you made reasonable
inquiry into their security. Read the terms of
service carefully and check your state for current ethics opinions on this subject.
• Be wary of social media applications, as
they are now frequently invaded by cyber criminals. Giving another application access to your
credentials for Facebook, as an example, could
result in your account being compromised.
• Have a social media and an incident
response policy.
• Let your employees know how to use social
media as safely as possible, and if an incident
happens, it is helpful to have a plan of action
in place.
• Dispose of anything that holds data, including a digital copier, securely.
• Make sure all computers require screen
saver passwords, and that the screen saver
gets invoked within a reasonable period of
inactivity.
• Use wireless hot spots with great care. Do
not enter any credit card information or login
credentials prior to seeing the https: in the URL.
• For remote access, use a virtual private
network (VPN) or other encrypted connection.
• Do not give your user ID and password
to anybody.
None of these safeguards are hard to implement. Unfortunately, even if you implement
them all, new dangers will arise tomorrow. The
name of the game in information and network
security is constant vigilance.
Keith Becker is a systems engineer for Tech
II Business Systems, Inc.
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Eat Free until March 30
with
*Rewarding
Reservations...
Follow These Rules Carefully: 1. Call us... (518)798-1155.
2. Make a reservation for 4
or more people. (4 entrees
must be ordered).
3. Say the words:
“I need a little *R&R.”
Log Restaurant
Jam
The
I-87 Exit 20, Rtes. 9 & 149, Lake George, NY
LowestPriceEntréeisFREE
whenatleast4entreesareordered.
(up to a $18 value Dinner / $8 at Lunch)
www.logjamrestaurant.com
The Log Jam, located at 1484 Route
9 in Lake George, combines a panoramic
view of the Adirondacks, superb dining, and
accommodating hospitality, and brings it
all to visitors and local residents alike. The
restaurant is open daily, 363 days a year,
for lunch and dinner.
Executive Chef Rod Russo has been with
the restaurant for over 18 years, bringing
consistency, quality and a reputation for
using only the freshest ingredients in his
culinary creations.
Lunch offers plenty of delicious choices,
including Adirondack French fries served
with zesty horseradish sauce, as well as
crab meat mushrooms baked with a crab
meat stuffing and served with a Dijon crab
sauce. All entrees include an incredible
array of salad items from which to choose.
Burgers such as The Adirondack are
a customer favorite. Sandwiches include
pork and turkey melts, Southwest chicken
and the Log Jam’s feature—The Rocky
Mount. From the Adirondack French dip
to the chef’s own crab cakes, the varieties
of fresh foods are all cooked to perfection.
The kid-friendly children’s menu includes
grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken tenders,
and bow tie pasta, all offered with a salad
bar and potato chips.
Dinner appetizers and entrees are all
prepared with only the freshest ingredients.
Crab cakes, shrimp ‘n bacon, escargo and
New England clam chowder are just a few
of the delicious selections.
The Log Jam’s famous dinner entrees
offer succulent roasted Long Island duck,
fresh twin lobster tails, loin lamb chops,
char-broiled prime rib, filet mignon, steak au
poivre and steak teriyaki. The seafood offerings include maple Dijon salmon, lobster
tail, and fresh sea scallops.
The restaurant can seat 225 diners, and
will host private parties and events. The
Oak Room can seat 655 and The Green-
house can accommodate 50. Both rooms
can be booked for private parties.
Special requests are always welcome for
people with specific dietary needs.
The Log Jam accepts all major credit
cards. Lunch is served between 11:30 a.m.
and 2:30 p.m.; dinner is served between
5:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.logjamrestaurant.com or call 798-1155.
The Docksider, 298 Glen Lake Road
in Lake George, is open seven days a week,
year round, from 11:30 a.m.
Chef Jason Wells prepares an array of
homemade appetizers, entrees and desserts to satisfy every appetite. His skills bring
patrons back on a regular basis to enjoy his
regular favorites and special entree’s.
The Docksider is very kid-friendly, with a
generous menu for children under 10 that
offers hamburgers, chicken tenders, personal cheese pizza, spaghetti and meatballs
and hot dogs, topped of with ice cream for
dessert.
Appetizers and soups are generous in
portion and include focaccia bread served
with garlic oil, potato skins with cheddar
cheese and bacon, nachos, shrimp and
steamed clams. Soups are all made from
scratch and include clam chowder, French
onion and soup of the day.
Lunch offerings include salads, wraps,
quesadillas, seafood, burgers, hot dogs
and freshly made hot and cold sandwiches
ranging from filet mignon, Reubens and
crab melts to deli sandwiches and pizzas.
Entrees for dinner include New York strip
steak, prime rib and filet mignon, all cooked
to perfection. Fresh haddock, scallops,
oysters, and fried chicken are available,
and all come with soup or salad, vegetable
and choice of potato. All menu items are
available for dine-in or take-out. Specials
are run on a regular basis.
The vista from the Docksider is spectacular, with beautiful views of Glen Lake from
the deck in season. Patrons are invited to
dock their boats and enjoy a deliciously
prepared meal with a relaxing lake view.
The Docksider’s capacity is 65 diners but
swells to 100 with deck seating.
The restaurant hosts banquets and private parties with reservations.
They accept MasterCard and Visa.
For more information, visit www.glenlakedocksider.com or call 518-792-3534.
The Peppermill Family Restaurant,
owned by John and Vicki Osakowicz, offers
a variety of homestyle fresh food served
by a staff that is dedicated to pleasing their
customers.
The Osakowicz’ sons, Kristopher and
John Jr., serve as Executive Chefs.
The casual setting provides a comfortable
atmosphere in which to enjoy a good meal.
The diversified menu includes The
Peppermill Classic Breakfast, offering
large omelettes, pancakes, sausage and
bacon, is an excellent start to anyone’s
busy day.
Lunch includes wraps, freshly roasted
turkey clubs, and the very freshest gravies,
sauces and soups. Chicken International
is just one of the Peppermill’s signature
dishes, which is generous in portion and
flavor.
For senior citizens and children, The Peppermill offers a light fare menu.
Accommodations can be made for parties
and gatherings of up to 40 guests.
The restaurant has been a popular dining
spot for local families and visitors for over
18 years. Customers keep coming back
to enjoy the family’s culinary offerings and
comfortable surroundings.
The Peppermill Family Restaurant is
located in the Midtown Shopping Center
in South Glens Falls. It is open Monday
through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.,
and Sunday 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
MasterCard, Visa and Discover are accepted.
For further information, call 518-7934606 or log onto www.menumart/peppermillrestaurant.com.
21 Bay Street Undergoing Renovations
vated in the same fashion, commercial at
street level and apartments above, and is
considered part of the same project, Hoffman noted, even though it will look slightly
different and separate.
He said his company has already been
leasing sections of the 12,000 square feet
of commercial space.
“The building is quite old,” he said,
calling it a 1927 neo-classical structure.
“There’s a lot of work involved.”
Hoffman started the purchase process
last October and closed on the structure
not long before Christmas.
21 Bay Street is the historic Rogers Building. The smaller Maple Avenue structure
started out as a Montgomery Ward store
decades ago, then was a Sears store and
was later owned by National Grid.
The buildings were vacant and in poor
condition. The Glens Falls Industrial Development Agency on Thursday authorized
an extended 15-year tax abatement plan
for the project. Hoffman lauded the coop-
Please Recycle This
Newspaper
eration with the Mayor’s Office and local
economic development officials in helping
the project, as well as contributing to the
appeal of the downtown with improved
infrastructure projects, an addition to the
Crandall Public Library, installing traffic
roundabouts and other amenities.
“We thrive off that,” he noted.
“What we found is that there’s a shortage
of apartment space in downtown areas,”
Hoffman said. “If someone wants to retire
and live downtown, it’s not easy. There’s a
woeful shortage.”
It’s not enough to build up businesses in
the center of a city, he said. For downtowns
to thrive and be active, “they need people
living there. They need people calling it
‘home.’”
He added there was a shortage of commercial space as well, and his company
tries to address that situation as well. And
that calls for renovation of structures that
have been vacant and gone into disrepair.
“We don’t take C and D class properties
and paint them and put them back on the
market,” said Hoffman. “We go after it, we
renovate it. We bring it back to strength.”
That’s what leads to revitalization.
Those interested in commercial space or
apartments can contact Glen Street associates at 743-8666. The company website is
www.glenstreetassociates.com.
New GM Of Adirondack Theatre Festival
Comes From Theater Group In Dallas, Tx.
The Lake George Arts Project elected a
group of new members to its board of directors at its December annual meeting at the
East Cove Restaurant in Lake George.
Elected to two-year terms beginning in
2013 were Harry Carlson of Glens Falls,
Nicole Howland of Queensbury, Charlene
Leary of Lake George, Billijo Meader
of Lake George, Jonathan Mitchell of
Queensbury, Todd Rehm of Lake George,
and Logan Smith of Saratoga Springs.
Other board members include Betsy
Brandt of Diamond Point and Cheri Bordelon of Hadley, who are serving in mid-terms.
Officers elected for one-year terms
were Jeannette Brandt of Lake Luzerne,
president; Lonnie Lawrence of Lake George,
vice-president; Kevin Griswold of Saratoga
Springs, treasurer; and Andrea Jacobs Merlow of Hudson Falls, secretary.
Outgoing board members acknowledged for their years of service were
Robin Blakney-Carlson, George Green, John
Sahler, Laura McGrew, Jane Sutton, and
former president Peter Barry.
John Strong was reappointed as executive director and Laura Von Rosk was
reappointed as gallery director for the
upcoming year.
The Arts Project’s mission is to provide
exposure and income opportunities for
professional and emerging artists, while
Landrie Bock is the new general manager
of the Adirondack Theatre Festival.
Courtesy Adirondack Theatre Festival
providing quality arts presentations and
programs for the resident and visitors of
the greater Lake George area.
Major programs include a year-round gallery exhibition program, a weekly concert
series in Shepard Park during July and
August, and the Lake George Jazz Weekend
each September. Other activities include
the Peoples Pixel Project, a video program
now in its fourth year, and occasional writing
workshops and special art presentations.

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