Month: June 2016

J.W. Danforth Co., Mechanical Contracting Company, To Have New Halfmoon Office Soon

June 8, 2016

By Maureen Werther

J.W. Danforth Co. plans to take occupancy of its newest location at 5 Liebich Lane in Halfmoon by late fall or early winter of this year.

One of the largest mechanical contracting firms in the Northeast, Danforth has its origins in the Buffalo area, where it began over 130 years ago. Its main office is now located in Tonawanda, a few miles outside of Buffalo. The company received site plan approval from the Town of Halfmoon in early May.

Danforth came to the Capital Region in the fall of 2015 to help support the expansion at GlobalFoundries. The company initially rented space in Clifton Park until about six months ago. The company is now occupying space at 107 Hermes Road in Malta until construction on the new office is completed.

This new building will be the third location for Danforth. They also have an office in Victor, N.Y.

According to Steve DiRaimo, vice president of business development and acquisitions, “With the addition of the new office, Danforth will be better positioned to expand in the Capital Region and offer a full array of services, including custom sheet metal and pipe fabrication; full mechanical contracting services; design-build capabilities; energy performance contracting, and other specialty offerings.”

NBT President Dietrich Named Chairman, Among Bank Management Changes In 2016

June 8, 2016

NBT President and CEO Martin A. Dietrich was elected chairman of
NBT Bancorp Inc.

Courtesy of NBT

Daryl R. Forsythe has retired as chairman of NBT Bancorp Inc.

Courtesy of NBT

The board of directors of NBT Bancorp Inc. elected President and CEO Martin A. Dietrich to the position of chairman following the retirement of Daryl R. Forsythe.

Dietrich also announced his intention to retire in December 2016.

Dietrich began his career in financial services with NBT Bank, N.A, in 1981. He joined the bank’s senior management team in 1995. Dietrich became president of the bank in 2000; advanced to president and CEO of the bank and president of NBT in 2004; and ultimately became CEO of NBT in 2006. He joined the board of directors in 1993 and NBT’s board of directors in 2005.

Dietrich is a graduate of Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

He said of Forsythe, “Daryl’s impact on NBT has been tremendous. During his tenure, the company has grown from a community bank with a local presence in central New York to one of the leading financial services organizations in the northeast at a time when the banking industry has faced many historic challenges. On behalf of all NBT directors, our nearly 1,800 employees and our retirees, I extend our deeply-felt gratitude and appreciation for the dedication, leadership and vision Daryl has provided.”

The board of directors also unanimously endorsed a succession plan that calls for the promotion of John H. Watt, Jr. to the position of president of the bank, effective immediately, and expanded roles for other members of NBT’s Executive Management Team.

Upon Dietrich’s retirement from active employment, Watt will succeed him as chief executive officer of NBT and the bank.

“NBT has benefited from consistent leadership for several decades,” said Dietrich. “We are pleased to have the resources within our organization to create this succession plan. The board’s unanimous endorsement of the plan speaks to the high level of confidence they have in John Watt and NBT’s entire Executive Management Team.”

Watt joined NBT in 2014 to lead the bank’s expansion into Maine and establish a regional headquarters in Portland. Since joining NBT, his role has expanded to provide executive leadership for credit administration, consumer lending, marketing and product development. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2015.

Watt has over 30 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining NBT, he was executive vice president of commercial banking, investment management and bank operations at Alliance Bank, N.A., through the merger with the bank in 2013.

Previously, he was employed by JP Morgan Chase and its predecessors. He is a graduate of Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and earned his Juris Doctor from the National Law Center at George Washington University.

Straight-Edge Razor Shaves, Haircuts Available At TruCutz Barbershop On Jefferson Street

June 8, 2016

Lamont Washington cuts a customers hair at his new establishment, TruCutz Barbershop, on Jefferson Street in Saratoga Springs. The shop opened in May.

By Maureen Werther

Lamont Washington has two important talents: He knows hair cutting and he knows marketing. His new business, TruCutz Barbershop, celebrated its opening on May 6 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the renovated building at 44 Jefferson St. in Saratoga Springs.

Since then, he said he has seen his new business grow day by day.

Washington didn’t start out with the expectation of becoming a barber. As a marketing major at SUNY Brockport, he started cutting his fraternity brothers’ hair and discovered he was pretty good at it. Realizing that it was a way for him to earn extra cash while attending school, he asked the owner of a local barbershop if he could use one of the empty chairs. The shop owner, who had no employees at the time, agreed.

“After watching me cut hair, the barber realized that I was pretty good at it,” said Washington. “It worked out well because the barber had nobody cutting hair in his shop at that point. He offered to train me, and I agreed and became his apprentice.”

National Grid To Hold Upstate Business Prices

June 8, 2016

National Grid’s prices for delivering electricity and natural gas to upstate New York customers will be extended at today’s levels into 2018, following regulatory approval of a plan that also will allow the company to continue investment in its networks.

Current energy delivery prices will be maintained through March 2018, extending a period of delivery rate stability for consumers that began more than a decade ago, company officials said.

The company also will be increasing its capital investment in its electricity and natural gas networks over the next two years to approximately $1.3 billion, bringing total investment since 2013 to more than $3 billion. These investments are improving the safety and reliability of the networks, encouraging growth and enhancing storm resiliency, said Daly, National Grid president-New York.

Mandate For Prescriptions To Be Emailed To Pharmacies Will Improve Safety, Officials Say

June 8, 2016

As New York state shifts away from paper prescriptions, an Albany Medical Center physician said electronic prescribing, or “e-prescribing,” will lead to improved patient safety and a more efficient prescription process.

As of March 27, all prescriptions written in the state must be transmitted electronically from the prescriber directly to the pharmacy.

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the requirement is a key component of New York’s I-STOP initiative that is focused on helping curb the abuse of prescription medication throughout the state.

Prescriptions will no longer be handwritten or called into a pharmacy for all medications, including controlled substances, except in rare circumstances.

According to state officials, those limited situations include such things as disasters, and technological or electrical failures. In exceptional circumstances requiring written prescriptions, prescribers must still use official state prescription forms and document the reason for use of the paper script each time. Prescribers with waivers are exceptions to the e-prescribe mandate. Patients seeking the best prices for their medications can still comparison shop before asking their doctor to send their prescriptions to their preferred pharmacy.

According to Dr. Patricia Hale, associate medical director of informatics at Albany Medical Center, the benefits of e-prescribing include:

• Lower risk of errors due to poor handwriting.

The Wesley Community Improvements To Springs Building Includes More Private Rooms

June 8, 2016

Improvements and enhancements at the Wesley Community’s Springs building include this upgraded dining area. Enhancements began in 2015 and more are scheduled over time.

Courtesy The Wesley Community

The Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs, a provider in housing and services for independent seniors and those requiring all levels of care, recently unveiled a series of enhancements and improvements to its Springs building.

The renovations to the fifth floor of the Springs building increase the amount of private rooms from four to 17, officials said. The redesigned floor includes an upgraded dining room, warm and inviting common spaces with gas fireplaces, new LED lights to make the space brighter, and an improved air circulation system that will increase resident comfort.

Resident rooms on the fifth floor have received a substantial upgrade as well. Each room now features an updated bathroom with shower, new furnishings, and a flat-screen television. Meals will now be delivered from a centralized kitchen that is also accessible to residents.

North Country ENT and MedSpa Evolves Its Business To Have More Of A Spa Retreat Feel

June 8, 2016

Meredeth Conley, an aesthetician at North Country ENT and MedSpa, applies a facial treatment to a client. The business has added a spa treatment feel in addition to providing medical services.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

North Country ENT has undergone a revitalization and is now known as North Country ENT and MedSpa.

Just as the change in name suggests, the business has evolved into more of a spa retreat feeling, according to office manager Claire Hensler.

Dr. Robert Hughes and staff are now not only ear, nose and throat specialists, but offer a full holistic treatment service spa as well.

Hensler said the MedSpa offers European waxing, which covers all areas of the body; permanent makeup, which aids individuals with visual impairments or dexterity-related conditions that may make applying makeup a challenge; laser-free tattoo removal; micro-needling, also known as collagen induction therapy; cosmeceuticals, which helps to create and maintain a youthful looking complexion; acne treatments, facials and peels, BioLOGIC cosmeceutical spray tan, FuturaFace light therapy, teeth whitening and Infra-Slim body contouring.

Albany Med Specialist, With Saratoga Office, Says People Should Know Skin Cancer Signs

June 8, 2016

Albany Medical Center melanoma specialist Dr. Hal Fletcher Starnes is urging Capital Region residents to know the risks, signs and symptoms of skin cancer as the summer season arrives and sun exposure is greatest.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation of America, an estimated 76,380 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. Some 10,000 of which will be fatal. It is the fifth most common cancer in men and the sixth most common in women.

“Every time you step outside without wearing appropriate clothing or sun block you are putting yourself at risk,” said Starnes, a surgical specialist with advanced training and experience diagnosing and treating skin cancer whose office is in Saratoga Springs.

He said there are three types of skin cancer. The first two are basal cell and squamous cell, which are less serious and are often found on the nose and cheek areas. The third type is melanoma, which can develop anywhere on the body usually 10-15 years after the initial sun damage occurred and can be deadly.

Wayne Morris, 70, of Greenwich, said it was discovered that he had melanoma approximately the size of a quarter on his scalp.

“I happened to be at my yearly physical when my physician first saw the lesion on my head. He sent me to Dr. Starnes who saw me immediately and diagnosed and removed what we now know was a very serious case of melanoma,” said Morris, who credits Starnes and the advanced technology used to make a quick diagnosis, which resulted in a positive outcome.

Trades Union Heads See Business Picking Up For Members; Growth Of Tech Industry Cited

June 8, 2016

Members of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773 are finding more work in the area.

By Susan E. Campbell

After nearly three years of anticipation, local union officials say the economy upstate may be on the verge of a healthy growth spurt.

Recent years have been slow for the building trades. But technology firms throughout the Capital District and parts north have played a big part in projected business growth, said Scott B. Martel, business manager of the U.S. Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773.

“As tech firms expand, more businesses come to the area to supply what those firms need,” Martel said, furthering the demand for qualified tradesmen across the commercial building industry. Lately most contracts for Local 773 have been in the public works sector, he said.

From September 2015 through April 2016, 90 apprentice plumbers and steamfitters took part in the most recent training school, meeting for three hours, three times a week, following a full work day, Martel said. The apprentice program lasts five years, but even the most experienced journeymen continue classroom training and practical experience to keep up their skills.

MacDonald Tread Bumpy Path But Now Owns Successful Plumbing, Heating Service Business

June 8, 2016

Craig MacDonald started Suburban Services Group in Burnt Hills over three decades ago.

Courtesy Suburban Services Group

By Maureen Werther

Craig MacDonald, owner of Suburban Services Group in Burnt Hills, started his company 36 years ago, and he doesn’t mind saying that the first 15 years were a struggle.

In fact, MacDonald’s career path took a lot of twists and turns before he was able to build the successful business he runs today, which has been providing heating, air-conditioning and stand-by generators area residents and businesses since 1980. He knows what it is like to start out in one direction, only to find out it may be the wrong path.

MacDonald has gone from working for a telephone company in the New Jersey town where he grew up, to serving in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, to selling fire hydrants in upstate New York. Each of those experiences played a role in guiding him along the slow, often circuitous path to success.

“I wasn’t terribly happy selling fire hydrants and I started thinking of other things I could do,” he recalled. He knew he didn’t want to work for anyone else. “So, I started my own remodeling company.”

“I did everything from foundation to roof” in the remodeling business, he said. This was during the early 1980s, and it coincided with a large number of GE layoffs. “It was a tough business anyway,” he said. “But, on top of it, you had all these GE guys out there now, looking for work. Basically, anyone who had a pickup truck became a contractor.”